Out-of-bounds read in Dovecot
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- Information disclosure
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- Low · None · High
- Fix status
- No fix listed
Attack profile from CVSS 3.0 · NVD. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat. Impact type from CWE-200.
Summary
A specially crafted email delivered over SMTP and passed on to Dovecot by MTA can trigger an out of bounds read resulting in potential sensitive information disclosure and denial of service. In order to trigger this vulnerability, an attacker needs to send a specially crafted email message to the server.
Why it matters now
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Dovecot Project | Dovecot | 2.2.33.2 | — | No fix listed | CNA |
- Dovecot VendorThe Dovecot Project Affected 2.2.33.2 Fixed in — No fix listed CNA
CPE configurations NVD · 6
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:a:dovecot:dovecot:2.2.33.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 2.2.33.2 | Vulnerable | The Dovecot Project |
| cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:8.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 8.0 | Vulnerable | Debian |
| cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:9.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 9.0 | Vulnerable | Debian |
| cpe:2.3:o:ubuntu:ubuntu:14.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:* | 14.04 | Vulnerable | Ubuntu |
| cpe:2.3:o:ubuntu:ubuntu:16.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:* | 16.04 | Vulnerable | Ubuntu |
| cpe:2.3:o:ubuntu:ubuntu:17.10:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 17.10 | Vulnerable | Ubuntu |
- cpe:2.3:a:dovecot:dovecot:2.2.33.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 2.2.33.2 Vulnerable ·The Dovecot Project
- cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:8.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 8.0 Vulnerable ·Debian
- cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:9.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 9.0 Vulnerable ·Debian
- cpe:2.3:o:ubuntu:ubuntu:14.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:* Versions 14.04 Vulnerable ·Ubuntu
- cpe:2.3:o:ubuntu:ubuntu:16.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:* Versions 16.04 Vulnerable ·Ubuntu
- cpe:2.3:o:ubuntu:ubuntu:17.10:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 17.10 Vulnerable ·Ubuntu
Remediation
No fixed version listed by the sources yet.
Fixed in the same release
Records fixed by the same vendor advisory or release, as the CNA lists them.
- Advisory ·
The Dovecot Project Dovecot — USN-3587-1
2 records Highest priority Priority MEDIUM 1 MEDIUM, 1 LOW
Other records, highest priority first
- TI-2017-11100 Uncontrolled resource consumption in dovecotPriority LOW 31
- Advisory ·
The Dovecot Project Dovecot — USN-3587-2
2 records Highest priority Priority MEDIUM 1 MEDIUM, 1 LOW
Other records, highest priority first
- TI-2017-11100 Uncontrolled resource consumption in dovecotPriority LOW 31
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Moderate. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 | Affected | No fix yet |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 | Affected | No fix yet |
Not affected: 2 products
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2017-14461
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-r34f-p748-2x25
References
More The Dovecot Project Dovecot vulnerabilities
- TI-2019-08591 In Dovecot before 2.2.36.4 and 2.3.x before 2.3.7.2 (and Pigeonhole before 0.5.7.2)… CVSS 3.0CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2020-05686 lib-smtp in submission-login and lmtp in Dovecot 2.3.9 before 2.3.9.3 mishandles… CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.5
- TI-2016-07114 The auth component in Dovecot before 2.2.27, when auth-policy is configured, allows a… CVSS 3.0MEDIUM 5.9
- TI-2022-12706 An issue was discovered in the auth component in Dovecot 2.2 and 2.3 before 2.3.20. CVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
- TI-2020-08835 In Dovecot before 2.3.10.1, unauthenticated sending of malformed parameters to a NOOP… CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.5
- TI-2020-10078 In Dovecot before 2.3.11.3, sending a specially formatted RPA request will crash the auth… CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.5
Sources
- CVE-2017-14461 · CVE Program
- CVE-2017-14461 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-r34f-p748-2x25 · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2017-14461 · 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