Detect RoundCube Webmail Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) Exploitation Attempt in IBM QRadar
Detects exploitation attempts targeting CVE-2025-68461, a stored/reflected cross-site scripting vulnerability in RoundCube Webmail. This vulnerability, listed in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, allows attackers to inject malicious scripts via email content, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or further compromise of the mail server environment. Affected versions include RoundCube Webmail prior to 1.5.12 and 1.6.12.
MITRE ATT&CK
QRadar Detection Query
SELECT
sourceip,
destinationip,
URL,
'HTTP Request Method' as requestMethod,
'HTTP Response Code' as responseCode,
starttime,
QIDNAME(qid) as eventName,
logSourceName(logsourceid) as logSource
FROM events
WHERE
LOGSOURCETYPENAME(devicetype) IN ('Apache HTTP Server', 'nginx', 'Microsoft IIS', 'Squid Proxy')
AND (
URL IMATCHES '.*roundcube.*'
OR URL IMATCHES '.*webmail.*'
OR URL IMATCHES '.*[?&]_task=(mail|compose).*'
)
AND (
URL IMATCHES '.*<script.*'
OR URL IMATCHES '.*javascript:.*'
OR URL IMATCHES '.*(onerror|onload|onclick|onmouseover)\\s*=.*'
OR URL IMATCHES '.*<svg[^>]*(onload|onerror).*'
OR URL IMATCHES '.*data:text/html.*'
OR URL IMATCHES '.*vbscript:.*'
)
AND CATEGORYNAME(category) IN ('Web Application Attack', 'Cross-Site Scripting', 'Suspicious Activity')
LAST 24 HOURSQRadar AQL query detecting XSS exploitation attempts against RoundCube Webmail by searching web server and proxy log sources for requests containing script injection patterns in URLs.
Data Sources
Required Tables
False Positives & Tuning
- Vulnerability scanning tools generating XSS test patterns in HTTP requests
- Content Security Policy reporting endpoints capturing sanitized payload copies
- Email security gateways forwarding sanitized HTML content with preserved script tags
- Penetration testing activities authorized against the webmail infrastructure
Other platforms for CVE-2025-68461
Testing Methodology
Validate this detection against 4 adversary techniques from Atomic Red Team. Each test below lists the behaviour to exercise and the telemetry you should expect to see. Executable commands and cleanup steps are available with Pro.
- Test 1RoundCube XSS - Basic Script Tag Injection via Compose
Expected signal: Web server logs will show POST request to RoundCube compose endpoint with HTML body containing `<script>` tags. PHP error logs may show sanitization failures if vulnerable version is running.
- Test 2RoundCube XSS - SVG OnLoad Event Handler Injection
Expected signal: Network logs showing POST to RoundCube with SVG onload payload. If victim opens the email in the vulnerable version, outbound HTTP GET request to `attacker.lab.local/exfil/` with base64-encoded cookie data.
- Test 3RoundCube XSS - Stored Payload via Contact/Addressbook Import
Expected signal: Web server log showing multipart POST to addressbook import endpoint. If vulnerability exists, subsequent GET requests to contact detail pages will trigger the stored XSS, generating outbound HTTP requests to `attacker.lab.local`.
- Test 4RoundCube XSS - Verify Patch Effectiveness Post-Update
Expected signal: HTTP response body should NOT contain raw `<script>` tags if the patch is applied — they should be HTML-escaped to `<script>`. Grep count of 0 confirms effective sanitization.
Unlock Pro Content
Get the full detection package for CVE-2025-68461 including response playbook, investigation guide, and atomic red team tests.