CVE-2024-54663 in Collaboration Suite
Summary
by MITRE • 12/20/2024
An issue was discovered in the Webmail Classic UI in Zimbra Collaboration (ZCS) 9.0 and 10.0 and 10.1. A Local File Inclusion (LFI) vulnerability exists in the /h/rest endpoint, allowing authenticated remote attackers to include and access sensitive files in the WebRoot directory. Exploitation requires a valid auth token and involves crafting a malicious request targeting specific file paths.
Statistical analysis made it clear that VulDB provides the best quality for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/21/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-54663 represents a critical local file inclusion flaw within the Webmail Classic UI of Zimbra Collaboration Suite versions 9.0, 10.0, and 10.1. This vulnerability resides within the /h/rest endpoint of the web application, which serves as a crucial interface for handling RESTful API requests. The flaw stems from insufficient input validation and sanitization mechanisms that fail to properly filter user-supplied data before processing file inclusion requests. Attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting malicious HTTP requests that target specific file paths within the WebRoot directory structure, potentially gaining unauthorized access to sensitive system files and data.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the exploitation of improper parameter handling within the REST endpoint where user input is directly processed without adequate security controls. When an authenticated attacker submits a crafted request containing malicious file path parameters, the application fails to validate or sanitize these inputs properly, allowing the inclusion of arbitrary local files. This type of vulnerability maps directly to CWE-22, which describes improper limitation of a pathname to a restricted directory, commonly known as path traversal or directory traversal attacks. The vulnerability requires valid authentication tokens to exploit, which means attackers must first compromise legitimate user credentials or session tokens, typically through phishing, credential stuffing, or other authentication bypass techniques.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant as it enables authenticated remote attackers to access sensitive files that may contain system configurations, user credentials, application source code, or other confidential data stored within the WebRoot directory. The compromised system could potentially expose database connection strings, encryption keys, application configuration files, and other sensitive information that could be leveraged for further attacks. This vulnerability creates a persistent threat vector that could allow attackers to escalate privileges, conduct reconnaissance, or extract valuable data from the compromised environment. The attack surface is particularly concerning given that Zimbra Collaboration Suite serves as an email and collaboration platform for many organizations, making the potential impact of successful exploitation substantial.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2024-54663 should focus on implementing comprehensive input validation and sanitization controls within the /h/rest endpoint. Organizations should ensure that all user-supplied parameters are properly validated and filtered before being processed for file operations. The implementation of a whitelist-based approach for file access, where only predefined and safe file paths are allowed, would significantly reduce the risk of exploitation. Additionally, organizations should enforce strict access controls and monitoring of the REST endpoints to detect anomalous file access patterns. Security measures should include regular patching and updating of Zimbra Collaboration Suite installations to the latest available versions that contain fixes for this vulnerability. The implementation of web application firewalls and intrusion detection systems can provide additional layers of protection by monitoring and blocking suspicious requests targeting the vulnerable endpoint. Organizations should also conduct regular security assessments and penetration testing to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities within their web applications. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under T1059.007 for command and script injection, and T1566 for credential harvesting, emphasizing the need for comprehensive defensive measures.