CVE-2003-0167 in Mutt
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple off-by-one buffer overflows in the IMAP capability for Mutt 1.3.28 and earlier, and Balsa 1.2.4 and earlier, allow a remote malicious IMAP server to cause a denial of service (crash) and possibly execute arbitrary code via a specially crafted mail folder, a different vulnerability than CVE-2003-0140.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/02/2019
The vulnerability described in CVE-2003-0167 represents a critical security flaw affecting email client applications that implement IMAP protocol handling. This issue specifically targets the IMAP capability within Mutt version 1.3.28 and earlier, as well as Balsa version 1.2.4 and earlier email clients. The vulnerability stems from improper buffer handling during the processing of mail folder data received from IMAP servers, creating conditions that can be exploited by malicious actors to compromise system integrity and availability.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in off-by-one buffer overflow conditions that occur when the email clients process specially crafted mail folder structures from IMAP servers. These buffer overflows manifest when the applications attempt to handle data that exceeds predetermined buffer boundaries by exactly one byte, a common class of memory corruption vulnerabilities that fall under CWE-121. The flaw occurs during the parsing of IMAP capability responses, where the applications fail to properly validate the length of incoming data before attempting to copy it into fixed-size buffers. This type of vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it can lead to unpredictable behavior including application crashes, memory corruption, and in some cases arbitrary code execution.
The operational impact of CVE-2003-0167 extends beyond simple denial of service conditions to potentially enable remote code execution capabilities. When exploited, these buffer overflows can cause email clients to crash or behave unpredictably, effectively creating a denial of service condition that prevents users from accessing their email communications. More critically, the vulnerability can be leveraged by attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected systems, potentially allowing for complete system compromise. The attack vector involves a malicious IMAP server sending specially crafted folder data that triggers the buffer overflow conditions during normal email client operation. This vulnerability operates at the application layer and can be particularly devastating in environments where users frequently access email from external servers or where email clients are used in automated systems.
The security implications of this vulnerability align with ATT&CK technique T1203, which involves exploitation of software vulnerabilities to gain unauthorized access or execute malicious code. The flaw demonstrates how seemingly benign protocol handling can become a gateway for more serious attacks when proper input validation and memory management practices are not implemented. Organizations using affected email clients face significant risk as attackers can exploit this vulnerability without requiring user interaction, making it particularly dangerous in environments where email clients automatically connect to external servers. The vulnerability's relationship to CWE-121 and related buffer overflow categories highlights the fundamental importance of proper memory management in security-critical applications. Mitigation strategies should include immediate patching of affected software versions, implementation of network segmentation to limit access to potentially malicious IMAP servers, and regular security assessments to identify similar vulnerabilities in other email client implementations.