Suspected Chinese espionage group used a Roundcube exploit chain to burrow into universities
Vulnerabilities mentionedAll →
| CVE | Vulnerability | CVSS | EPSS | Flags | Affected | Exposure | Published |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2024-42009 | Cross-Site Scripting in Roundcube Webmail Lets Attackers Steal Emails CVE-2024-42009 is a cross-site scripting (CWE-79) vulnerability in Roundcube Webmail versions through 1.5.7 and 1.6.x through 1.6.7, caused by a desanitization issue in message_body() in program/actions/mail/show.php. An attacker sends a specially crafted email, and when the victim opens it in the Roundcube interface, injected script runs in the context of the victim's webmail session (no privileges are required, but user interaction is needed, per the CVSS UI:R vector). Successful exploitation lets the attacker steal the victim's emails and send messages as the victim, and related reporting notes that, chained with the companion flaw CVE-2024-42008, attackers can compromise email accounts and passwords. Any organization or provider self-hosting an affected Roundcube version is exposed, including universities, hosting providers, enterprises, and government mail systems. Exploitation is confirmed in the wild: CISA added the flaw to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2025-06-09, EPSS is 82.9% (100th percentile), and recent headlines describe suspected China-aligned espionage activity using Roundcube exploit chains against universities. Do: Upgrade Roundcube to a point release newer than 1.6.7 on the 1.6.x line or newer than 1.5.7 on the 1.5.x line (the latest vendor release of each branch), per vendor instructions; organizations under BOD 22-01 must apply the required mitigations by the KEV due date or discontinue use. Also patch the companion issue CVE-2024-42008 to prevent chained account compromise. Review webmail access logs for suspicious requests to the mail show handler, check sent-mail folders for messages sent unexpectedly as users, and rotate sessions/credentials for potentially targeted accounts. | 9.3 | 83% | KEV |
| massroughly millions of users across tens of thousands of self-hosted instances (public scans show tens of thousands of internet-exposed Roundcube servers) | |
| CVE-2025-49113 | Authenticated PHP Object Deserialization RCE in Roundcube Webmail Roundcube Webmail before 1.5.10 and 1.6.x before 1.6.11 contains a PHP object deserialization flaw (CWE-502) that allows remote code execution by authenticated users. The bug is in program/actions/settings/upload.php, where the _from URL parameter is not validated before deserialization, so any logged-in user can trigger it with a crafted URL to the settings upload action, with no user interaction required. Successful exploitation gives the attacker code execution on the web server with high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact (CVSS 3.1 8.8). All deployments running affected versions are exposed, including Roundcube packages shipped with Debian Linux. The flaw reportedly existed for roughly a decade before disclosure, carries a 98.9% EPSS score (top percentile), and was added to CISA's KEV catalog on 2026-02-20, confirming exploitation in the wild. Do: Upgrade to Roundcube 1.6.11 or 1.5.10 (or later); Debian administrators should install the fixed roundcube package via security updates. Hunt for compromise by reviewing web access logs for requests to the settings upload action with unusual or crafted _from parameters, and check the web server runtime for unexpected processes, files, or webshells. Federal agencies must apply mitigations per vendor instructions under BOD 22-01 or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable. | 8.8 | 99% | KEV PoC ×2 |
| masslikely tens of thousands of internet-exposed Roundcube instances serving millions of mailboxes |
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Proofpoint researchers said attackers targeted physics and engineering departments, and warn that the campaign is likely ongoing.
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China-aligned attackers broke into the networks of U.S. and Canadian universities to steal sensitive data and establish persistent access via webshells and backdoors, Proofpoint threat researchers said Tuesday.
The espionage-motivated attacks targeted physics and engineering departments, focusing on administrators and professors with national security links or organizations researching astrophysics and particle physics.
Proofpoint identified less than 10 university victims and estimates a few dozen universities may be impacted, Greg Lesnewich, principal threat researcher at Proofpoint, told CyberScoop. The company first observed the campaign in May and believes the campaign is ongoing.
“There is a high likelihood that many victims have not been made aware of this activity yet,” Lesnewich added.
Researchers traced the attacks to a pair of critical vulnerabilities in Roundcube, an open-source email client, that were exploited and chained together to steal credentials and gain long-term access.
The threat cluster, which Proofpoint tracks as UNK_MassTraction, exploited CVE-2024-42009 to execute JavaScript inside the victim’s browser, then exploited CVE-2025-49113 to gain a foothold in the mailserver.
The initial exploit in the chain only requires a victim to open an email, and the attackers sent victims a series of generic lures to trigger the initial access.
Proofpoint attributes the campaign to a China-aligned cluster because the attackers used a known covert network used by multiple China-aligned threat groups, an infection chain leading to VShell and left Chinese language artifacts in the phishing emails.
Researchers haven’t drawn any conclusions about why attackers targeted the universities and what they are seeking.
“We do not have data to suggest what got stolen, as we only observe the initial inbound email attempt,” Lesnewich said.
The engineering aspects do align with China’s strategic initiatives, he added. Google threat hunters recently spotted a Chinese state-sponsored espionage group that burrowed into systems for years, stealing data across academia, medicine, military, cybersecurity and foreign policy.
“China-aligned adversaries have been targeting other types of edge devices such as routers and VPN concentrators for years with various exploits to create a foothold into a target network, not using email for delivery,” Lesnewich said. “This campaign flips that on its head, using email to deliver an exploit chain to compromise a mail server, instead of using email to deliver a credential harvesting URL or malware to target an end user, not a server.”
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