The write_one_header function in mutt 1.5.23 does not properly handle newline characters…
Priority LOW 35CWE-119Published · Updated
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- — Not recorded in CVSS 2.0
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- Denial of service
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- None · None · Partial
- Fix status
- Will not fix Red Hat: no fix planned
Attack profile from CVSS 2.0 · NVD. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat. Impact type from CWE-119 and the CVSS impact.
Summary
The write_one_header function in mutt 1.5.23 does not properly handle newline characters at the beginning of a header, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) via a header with an empty body, which triggers a heap-based buffer overflow in the mutt_substrdup function.
Why it matters now
EPSS 0.09694 95th percentileScored 2026-11-07
Public exploit Yes 3 exploit referencesTagged by NVD
Fix Will not fix Red Hat: no fix planned
SSVC decision points
Not available: CISA has not published SSVC decision points for this record.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | — | all versions | — | No fix listed | CNA |
- — Vendor— Affected all versions Fixed in — No fix listed CNA
CPE configurations NVD · 5
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:o:suse:linux_enterprise_desktop:12:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 12 | Vulnerable | SUSE |
| cpe:2.3:o:suse:suse_linux_enterprise_server:12:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 12 | Vulnerable | SUSE |
| cpe:2.3:a:mutt:mutt:1.5.23:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 1.5.23 | Vulnerable | mutt |
| cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:7.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 7.0 | Vulnerable | Debian |
| cpe:2.3:o:mageia:mageia:4.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 4.0 | Vulnerable | Mageia |
- cpe:2.3:o:suse:linux_enterprise_desktop:12:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 12 Vulnerable ·SUSE
- cpe:2.3:o:suse:suse_linux_enterprise_server:12:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 12 Vulnerable ·SUSE
- cpe:2.3:a:mutt:mutt:1.5.23:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 1.5.23 Vulnerable ·mutt
- cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:7.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 7.0 Vulnerable ·Debian
- cpe:2.3:o:mageia:mageia:4.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 4.0 Vulnerable ·Mageia
Remediation
No fixed version listed by the sources yet.
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Low. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 | Affected | No fix planned: Will not fix |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 | Affected | No fix planned: Will not fix |
Not affected: 1 product
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2014-9116
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-mv99-5p2c-93vv
References
Exploit 3
Sources
- CVE-2014-9116 · CVE Program
- CVE-2014-9116 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-mv99-5p2c-93vv · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2014-9116 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences