[Smitty]

I'm not sure if this is really the right forum for this. Please move if it's not "best fit".

This in on a fully patched 3.8.7 Patch Level 3 install. It IS an old forum which is highly modified - Too many mods to list here.

Someone has figured out how to use a phrase in one of my sites and cause spam emails to be sent. It uses the "Email Link to Friend" phrase and some of its variables. I *assume* it is a cross site XSS issue but I am not sure. I know this is happening because of Bounce messages I am getting.

1. I never did have the email to friend feature enabled for any user group and my tests show the people do get the error message if they try.

2. I "emptied" the sendtofriend template so now all a person gets is a message ""Send Link To Friend" DISABLED due to potential spam issues."

3. It is (now was) obviously using some of the "$vbphrase[sendtofriend]" phrase variables, so I emptied that out and put in my own message (without any variables) with an apology. Prior to doing that it gave a link to a web site using the "$vbphrase[sendtofriend]" phrase somehow, and used a couple "real" variables in that phrase.

Now that I have completely eliminated the variables in the phrase and put in my own text (an apology and brief explanation of what I *think* is happening) the spam content they were sending doesn't show - Only the text I put in shows in the emails which are sent.

4. No emails are going to forum members. They are somehow using a mailing list.

5. Somehow they are getting the email address set in the vB adminCP > Options > Site Name / URL / Contact Details as the "Sent By" - If I change that the spam email "From" address changes with it.

6. They are able to put in their own "Subject" in the spam emails being sent.

7. I have vBulletin set up to use php to send outgoing emails.

Has anyone heard of anything like this? And/or any ideas on how it is being done, not to mention how to stop it?

What is surprising is that now that I can control the spam email contents, it seems to me they would stop, which they haven't.