CVE-2022-32740

What it actually does

A reply to a forwarded third-party email article can unintentionally include the original email content in the response visible to the ticket customer due to improper handling of forwarded article data in the ticket workflow.

Why it matters to the business

Sensitive information from external emails can leak to customers, eroding trust, creating compliance risks, and potentially exposing confidential details in routine support operations across many OTRS deployments.

How an attack unfolds

An attacker sends or forwards an email containing sensitive content into an OTRS ticket; when an agent or system generates a reply to that article under specific conditions, the original email body is included in the customer-visible response.

How to fix it

Apply vendor patches or upgrade to a fixed OTRS release once available; until then restrict forwarding of external emails into tickets and review article reply workflows for exposure risks.

How to confirm the fix worked

Test forwarding scenarios with sample emails containing distinct markers, then verify whether reply outputs expose the original content to the customer view; inspect configuration settings related to article handling.

Typical attack path

1. Forward or submit an email containing sensitive data to an OTRS ticket system
2. Trigger a reply action on the forwarded article within the ticket
3. Observe the original email content appearing in the customer-facing response

How to detect it

Review OTRS application and email logs for patterns of forwarded articles followed by replies; search for instances where external email content appears in customer-visible responses.

What your security team should do

• Prioritize patching OTRS instances as soon as fixed versions are released
• Audit ticket workflows involving forwarded emails for unintended data exposure
• Implement compensating controls such as content redaction rules until patches are applied