Inefficient regular expression complexity in hMailServer Sieve filters
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- Denial of service
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- None · None · High
- Fix status
- Fixed
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CNA. Fix status from CNA. Impact type from CWE-1333.
Summary
hMailServer from 6.2.24 before 6.3.6 is affected. Sieve ':matches' patterns are matched by backtracking whose time grows with the value length raised to the number of wildcards, so long values can stall processing (CWE-1333). An authenticated account holder can use their own Sieve filter to make the shared delivery thread pool stop, which halts mail delivery for the whole server.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-10-29
Description from the CNA
Inefficient complexity in the Sieve filter evaluation of Progressive Robot hMailServer 6.2.24 through 6.3.5 allows an authenticated account holder to make the mail services unavailable with their own filter. A ':matches' pattern was matched by a backtracking descent whose time grew with the matched value's length raised to the number of wildcards, so a pattern such as '*a*a*a*b' over 800 characters took 44 seconds; and 'deleteheader' erased the fields it removed one at a time, so removing many fields of one name over a message's header cost O(N^2) (80,000 fields took 18.8 seconds). Sieve filters run on the small, shared delivery thread pool, so an account holder whose active script does this, fed a few messages they can send themselves, empties the pool and stops delivery for the whole server. The script is the account holder's own and cannot be set for another user.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- No
- Technical impact
- Partial
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Progressive Robot Ltd | hMailServer | 6.2.24 to before 6.3.6 | 6.3.6 | Patch available | CNA |
- hMailServer VendorProgressive Robot Ltd Affected 6.2.24 to before 6.3.6 Fixed in 6.3.6 Patch available CNA
Remediation
Upgrade hMailServer to version 6.3.6, which is the fixed version.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-10-29
- Fix · CNA hMailServer (Progressive Robot Ltd) Fixed in 6.3.6
Fixed in the same release
Records fixed by the same vendor advisory or release, as the CNA lists them.
- Release ·
Progressive Robot hMailServer 6.3.6
23 records Highest priority Priority LOW 23 LOW
Other records, highest priority first
- TI-2026-69567 Inefficient processing in hMailServer stalls mail deliveryPriority LOW 39
- TI-2026-69565 Infinite loop in hMailServer MIME handling lets attackers stop mailPriority LOW 39
- TI-2026-69564 Inefficient DKIM and ARC checks in hMailServer cause denial of servicePriority LOW 39
Timeline
- 2026-10-08 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-107572
- 2026-10-08 CISA SSVC decision points changed
- 2026-10-08 Priority changed: MEDIUM → LOW
References
More Progressive Robot Ltd vulnerabilities
- TI-2026-64884 Improper Neutralization of Directives in Dynamically Evaluated Code ('Eval Injection') in hMailServer CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2026-76418 Unchecked loop limit in hMailServer lets remote attackers stop mail CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.5
- TI-2026-69567 Inefficient processing in hMailServer stalls mail delivery CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.5
- TI-2026-69565 Infinite loop in hMailServer MIME handling lets attackers stop mail CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.5
- TI-2026-69564 Inefficient DKIM and ARC checks in hMailServer cause denial of service CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.5
- TI-2026-69562 Inefficient JSON parsing in hMailServer lets attackers halt mail CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.5
Sources
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences