CVE-2020-1765 in Community Edition
Summary
by MITRE
An improper control of parameters allows the spoofing of the from fields of the following screens: AgentTicketCompose, AgentTicketForward, AgentTicketBounce and AgentTicketEmailOutbound. This issue affects: ((OTRS)) Community Edition 5.0.x version 5.0.39 and prior versions; 6.0.x version 6.0.24 and prior versions. OTRS 7.0.x version 7.0.13 and prior versions.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/20/2024
This vulnerability represents a critical parameter control flaw that enables malicious actors to manipulate email headers and spoof the sender information in key OTRS ticket management functions. The issue specifically targets the from field manipulation capabilities within four critical screens: AgentTicketCompose, AgentTicketForward, AgentTicketBounce, and AgentTicketEmailOutbound. These components form the core of email handling within the OTRS platform, making them prime targets for attackers seeking to establish false identities or conduct phishing campaigns. The vulnerability affects multiple major versions of OTRS Community Edition, including 5.0.x up to 5.0.39, 6.0.x up to 6.0.24, and 7.0.x up to 7.0.13, indicating a widespread impact across the platform's lifecycle. This flaw falls under the CWE-20 category of "Improper Input Validation" and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566.001 for credential harvesting through phishing. The improper control of parameters allows attackers to inject malicious data into the from field, potentially bypassing email security measures and creating confusion among end users who may believe messages originate from legitimate sources.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through parameter manipulation within the web interface of OTRS, where user input is not properly sanitized or validated before being incorporated into email headers. Attackers can craft malicious requests that modify the from field values, effectively impersonating legitimate users or system components. This manipulation enables several attack vectors including social engineering campaigns, where forged email addresses can trick recipients into trusting malicious content, and more sophisticated attacks such as man-in-the-middle scenarios where attackers can redirect communications. The vulnerability specifically impacts the email composition and forwarding workflows, which are fundamental to customer service operations and internal communications. When exploited, this flaw can lead to unauthorized access to sensitive information, as users may be tricked into providing credentials or sensitive data to attackers posing as legitimate support personnel.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple spoofing, as it fundamentally undermines the trust model within the OTRS platform and can lead to significant security breaches. Organizations using affected versions may experience compromised communication channels where legitimate users receive forged emails that appear to originate from trusted sources within their own organization. This can result in unauthorized access to customer data, disruption of service desk operations, and potential regulatory compliance violations. The vulnerability particularly affects customer service environments where email is the primary communication channel, making it a significant concern for businesses that rely on OTRS for ticket management and support operations. Attackers can leverage this flaw to conduct targeted phishing campaigns, escalate privileges through social engineering, or create confusion within support teams who may not recognize the forged communications. The impact is amplified in environments where OTRS is integrated with other systems, as the spoofed emails could potentially bypass security controls in connected platforms.
Organizations should immediately upgrade to patched versions of OTRS Community Edition to remediate this vulnerability, as no effective workarounds exist for the core parameter validation issue. The recommended mitigation strategy involves applying the vendor-supplied patches for versions 5.0.40, 6.0.25, and 7.0.14 respectively, which address the improper parameter handling in the affected screens. Security teams should implement network monitoring to detect unusual email patterns or unauthorized modifications to email headers, particularly in environments where OTRS is used for customer communication. Additional defensive measures include implementing email authentication protocols such as SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to help detect and prevent spoofed emails from reaching end users. Organizations should also conduct comprehensive security assessments of their OTRS installations to identify any other potential parameter validation issues within the system. Regular security audits and penetration testing should be performed to ensure that similar vulnerabilities are not present in other components of the platform, while user education programs should be implemented to help staff recognize potential spoofing attempts and report suspicious communications. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper input validation in web applications and highlights the need for continuous security testing of enterprise communication platforms.