Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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ReconObtain valid SmarterMail credentials
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DeliveryAuthenticate to API endpoint
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ExploitSend crafted traversal request to /api/v1/report/summary/{type}
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InstallRetrieve encrypted credential JSON files
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C2Decrypt using hardcoded keys
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ExecuteAccess all user passwords and 2FA secrets
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ImpactCompromise administrative accounts
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Step 8Exfiltrate mailbox data system-wide
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A01:2025 - Broken Access Control
ASVS 5.0
V5 - File Handling Path canonicalization, traversal prevention
MITRE ATT&CK
2 techniques across 2 tactics: Discovery, Collection The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up. |
| Exploitation Conditions | Requires valid authenticated credentials for any SmarterMail user account with API access permissions. The vulnerability affects the /api/v1/report/summary/{type} endpoint specifically, so exploitation depends on API functionality being enabled and accessible to authenticated users. Default SmarterMail configurations typically grant API access to standard user accounts, making any compromised user credential sufficient. Network accessibility to the SmarterMail API (typically TCP 443/9998) is required. Attack complexity is low (AC:L) with no user interaction (UI:N) needed beyond initial authentication, meaning exploitation is straightforward once credentials are obtained. Limiting factors: authentication requirement (PR:L) prevents anonymous exploitation; organizations with MFA enforcement and restrictive API access policies face reduced risk; firewall rules limiting API access to specific IP ranges constrain remote attack surface but not insider threats or compromised accounts. |
| Impact | Real-world risk is HIGH for authenticated attackers but requires initial credential compromise. The CVSS 8.7 score accurately reflects network attack vector (AV:N) with low complexity (AC:L) but critically requires low-privileged authentication (PR:L), meaning attackers need valid user credentials before exploiting the path traversal. This authentication requirement significantly reduces attack surface compared to unauthenticated remote code execution vulnerabilities. However, once any user account is compromised (through phishing, password reuse, or weak credentials), the attacker gains access to ALL user passwords and 2FA secrets system-wide, representing catastrophic horizontal privilege escalation. No EPSS data or KEV status provided, so exploitation prevalence is unknown. The availability of public exploit details from VulnCheck combined with straightforward exploitation (authenticated API call with path traversal payload) means proof-of-concept development is trivial. Vendor patch availability in build 9560 enables immediate remediation. Priority depends heavily on authentication posture: organizations with strong MFA enforcement and minimal authenticated user access to API endpoints face lower immediate risk, while those with weak password policies or compromised accounts face critical exposure. The chained nature (LFI + weak crypto) is particularly concerning as it defeats defense-in-depth expectations around encrypted credential storage. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker compromises a low-privilege SmarterMail user account through phishing or password reuse. They authenticate to the SmarterMail API and craft requests to /api/v1/report/summary/../../../../path/to/credentials.json, exploiting the path traversal to read JSON files containing encrypted passwords and 2FA secrets for all users. Using publicly documented hardcoded encryption keys, the attacker decrypts the credentials offline, gaining administrative access to the mail server and all user accounts, enabling email interception, data exfiltration, and further lateral movement within the organization. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – May 08, 2026
Authenticated attackers can read arbitrary JSON files from SmarterMail servers prior to build 9560 through a path traversal vulnerability in the /api/v1/report/summary/{type} endpoint. The vulnerability chains with weak encryption and hardcoded keys to decrypt stored passwords and two-factor authentication secrets for all system users, enabling complete account compromise. VulnCheck identified this vulnerability; vendor patch available in build 9560 or later. CVSS 8.7 reflects high confidentiality and integrity impact with low attack complexity, though requiring authenticated access (PR:L) moderates immediate risk for internet-exposed instances with strong authentication controls.
RemediationAI
Upgrade immediately to SmarterMail build 9560 or later, which addresses the path traversal vulnerability according to vendor release notes at https://www.smartertools.com/smartermail/release-notes/current. Post-upgrade, organizations must rotate ALL user passwords and regenerate all 2FA secrets system-wide, as the hardcoded encryption keys mean any previously exfiltrated credential files remain decryptable indefinitely. If immediate patching is not feasible, implement network-level restrictions to limit API endpoint access to trusted IP ranges only, though this provides incomplete protection if authenticated users access from allowed networks. Disabling the /api/v1/report/summary/* endpoints entirely through reverse proxy URL filtering (block .*/api/v1/report/summary/.* paths) prevents exploitation but may impact legitimate reporting functionality that depends on this API. Organizations should review authentication logs for anomalous API requests to /api/v1/report/summary/ with suspicious {type} parameters containing traversal sequences, and conduct forensic analysis to determine if credential files were accessed prior to patching.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 1 package in euvd
Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.
Technical ContextAI · show details
This is a classic path traversal (CWE-22) vulnerability affecting the SmarterMail email server platform's REST API reporting endpoint. The /api/v1/report/summary/{type} parameter fails to properly sanitize the {type} input, allowing authenticated users to traverse outside the intended directory structure using directory traversal sequences (likely '../' patterns) to access arbitrary .json files on the filesystem. The severity escalates because SmarterMail stores sensitive credential data (passwords and TOTP 2FA secrets) in JSON format encrypted with weak algorithms and hardcoded cryptographic keys - effectively security through obscurity. Once an attacker retrieves these encrypted JSON files through the LFI, the hardcoded keys enable trivial decryption, transforming a file read vulnerability into credential disclosure affecting all users on the system. This represents a fundamental failure in both input validation (the traversal) and secure credential storage (weak crypto with embedded keys rather than using platform key stores or HSMs).
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Severity by source
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
Primary rating from Vendor (VulnCheck) · only source for this CVE.
CVSS VectorVendor: VulnCheck
Lifecycle Timeline
2DescriptionCVE.org
SmarterTools SmarterMail builds prior to 9560 contain a local file inclusion vulnerability in the /api/v1/report/summary/{type} API endpoint that allows authenticated users to read arbitrary .json files on the system. Attackers can exploit this vulnerability combined with weak encryption algorithms and hardcoded keys to decrypt and access stored passwords and 2FA secrets for all users.
Executive ViewAI
SmarterMail servers below build 9560 contain a critical authentication bypass vulnerability allowing authenticated users to extract and decrypt stored passwords and two-factor authentication secrets for all system accounts. This vulnerability poses an immediate risk to organizations using SmarterMail for email infrastructure, as successful exploitation leads to complete compromise of email accounts and potential lateral movement into broader IT environments. Affected organizations must prioritize patching to build 9560 or later to prevent unauthorized access to sensitive communications and credentials.
Apply vendor patch. If patch deployment is delayed: (1) Restrict network access to SmarterMail administration and API endpoints to trusted IP ranges only; (2) Enforce account lockout policies after failed authentication attempts; (3) Monitor /api/v1/report/summary/{type} endpoint access logs for anomalous requests; (4) Implement Web Application Firewall rules to block requests to this specific endpoint if operational impact permits.
Threat Intelligence Overview
How this decision was reached
The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.
What every action level means
SSVC AssessmentENISA
Priority Score
Attack Technique
Path traversal exploits occur when applications use user-controlled input to construct file system paths without proper validation.
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CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
VulDB
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