CVE-2026-48530 in Archiver
Summary
by MITRE • 07/23/2026
GFI Archiver before 15.13 contains a stored cross-site scripting vulnerability in the Classification Rules configuration that allows authenticated attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the rule name and email criteria parameters to /Archiver/CategorizationPolicyWizard.aspx. The injected payload is stored by CategorizationPolicyWizard.SaveAllConfigSettings() without output encoding and is executed in the browsers of users who subsequently view the Classification Rules page.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/23/2026
This vulnerability exists within GFI Archiver version 15.13 and earlier, representing a critical stored cross-site scripting flaw that undermines the security posture of email archiving systems. The weakness specifically resides in the Classification Rules configuration component where user input is not properly sanitized or encoded before being stored in the application's backend database. Attackers with authenticated access can exploit this vulnerability by crafting malicious payloads within the rule name and email criteria parameters, which are then persisted through the CategorizationPolicyWizard.SaveAllConfigSettings() method.
The technical execution of this vulnerability follows a classic stored xss attack pattern where the malicious code is initially accepted and stored during the configuration process. When legitimate users subsequently navigate to the Classification Rules page, their browsers execute the injected scripts within the context of their authenticated session. This creates a persistent threat vector that can be leveraged for session hijacking, credential theft, or redirection to malicious sites. The vulnerability impacts all users who view the affected configuration page, making it particularly dangerous in multi-user environments where administrators and regular employees may access the same interface.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability represents a significant risk to organizational security as it allows attackers with minimal privileges to establish persistent footholds within the email archiving infrastructure. The attack requires only authenticated access to the application, which is often granted to various user roles including helpdesk personnel or system administrators who may have routine access to configuration interfaces. This makes the vulnerability particularly attractive to attackers seeking to maintain long-term access while avoiding detection in network monitoring systems.
The vulnerability maps directly to CWE-79 which defines Cross-site Scripting flaws where untrusted data is embedded into web pages without proper validation or encoding. From an attack framework perspective, this weakness aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566.002 for credential access through phishing and T1059.001 for command and control through scripting. The persistence mechanism inherent in stored xss makes it difficult to detect through traditional network monitoring approaches, as the malicious code executes within the context of legitimate user sessions rather than appearing as suspicious network traffic.
Mitigation strategies should include immediate deployment of vendor patches or updates to GFI Archiver version 15.13 or later, which address the input sanitization issues in the configuration handling code. Organizations should implement additional security controls such as input validation at multiple layers including application-level encoding, web application firewalls that can detect and block malicious script patterns, and regular security assessments of administrative interfaces. Network segmentation and principle of least privilege should be enforced to limit the scope of potential exploitation, while user education regarding suspicious email behaviors remains critical to prevent initial compromise through social engineering vectors.