Stalwart Mail Server has privilege escalation by design
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- High
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- Security bypass
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- High · High · High
- Fix status
- Fixed
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CNA. Fix status from CNA. Impact type from CWE-863.
Summary
Stalwart Mail Server is an open-source mail server. Prior to version 0.8.0, attackers who achieved Arbitrary Code Execution as the stalwart-mail user (including web interface admins) can gain complete root access to the system. Usually, system services are run as a separate user (not as root) to isolate an attacker with Arbitrary Code Execution to the current service. Therefore, other system services and the system itself remains protected in case of a successful attack. stalwart-mail runs as a separate user, but it can give itself full privileges again in a simple way, so this protection is practically ineffective. Server admins who handed out the admin credentials to the mail server, but didn't want to hand out complete root access to the system, as well as any attacked user when the attackers gained Arbitrary Code Execution using another vulnerability, may be vulnerable. Version 0.8.0 contains a patch for the issue.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- Poc
- Automatable
- No
- Technical impact
- Total
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| stalwartlabs | mail-server | before 0.8.0 | 0.8.0 | Patch available | CNA |
- mail-server Vendorstalwartlabs Affected before 0.8.0 Fixed in 0.8.0 Patch available CNA
CPE names CISA-ADP · 1
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:a:stalwartlabs:mail-server:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | — | — | stalwartlabs |
- cpe:2.3:a:stalwartlabs:mail-server:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions — — ·stalwartlabs
Remediation
- Fix · CNA mail-server (stalwartlabs) Fixed in 0.8.0
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2024-35187
References
More stalwartlabs vulnerabilities
- TI-2026-56046 Stalwart Mail Server through 0.16.19 Authorization Code Disclosure via Unvalidated OAuth redirect_uri CVSS 4.0HIGH 8.5
- TI-2024-23253 Unprivileged Stalwart Mail Server user can read files as root CVSS 3.1MEDIUM 6.8
- TI-2025-38045 Unbounded Memory Allocation in Stalwart IMAP parser CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.5
- TI-2025-36687 Stalwart vulnerable to Memory Exhaustion via CalDAV Event Expansion CVSS 4.0HIGH 7.1
Sources
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences