CVE-2018-14350 in Mutt
Summary
by MITRE
An issue was discovered in Mutt before 1.10.1 and NeoMutt before 2018-07-16. imap/message.c has a stack-based buffer overflow for a FETCH response with a long INTERNALDATE field.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/09/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-14350 represents a critical stack-based buffer overflow flaw affecting the Mutt email client and its derivative NeoMutt. This issue specifically manifests in the imap/message.c component where the software fails to properly validate the length of INTERNALDATE fields received during IMAP FETCH operations. The flaw exists in versions prior to 1.10.1 for Mutt and before 2018-07-16 for NeoMutt, creating a window of exposure for attackers who can exploit this vulnerability through carefully crafted IMAP responses.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from improper bounds checking within the IMAP message parsing logic. When the mail client receives an IMAP FETCH response containing an INTERNALDATE field that exceeds the allocated buffer size, the software writes beyond the intended memory boundaries. This stack overflow condition occurs because the application does not enforce strict limits on the length of the date string being processed, allowing malicious actors to craft specially formatted IMAP responses that trigger the overflow. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-121 as a stack-based buffer overflow, which represents a well-known and dangerous class of memory corruption flaws that can lead to arbitrary code execution.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service scenarios, as it creates potential for remote code execution on systems running vulnerable versions of Mutt or NeoMutt. Attackers who can intercept or manipulate IMAP communications can exploit this flaw by sending malformed messages containing excessively long INTERNALDATE fields that cause the application to overwrite adjacent stack memory. This memory corruption can potentially be leveraged to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the running user, making it particularly dangerous in environments where these email clients are used for handling sensitive communications. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter, as successful exploitation could allow attackers to execute commands through compromised email client processes.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate patching of affected systems to versions 1.10.1 or later for Mutt and the corresponding NeoMutt releases. Organizations should also implement network monitoring to detect unusual IMAP traffic patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. Additionally, administrators should consider implementing email filtering rules that can identify and block malformed IMAP responses, while also ensuring that email clients are configured to use secure connections and that users are educated about the risks of opening suspicious emails. The fix implemented in the patched versions typically involves adding proper bounds checking to validate the length of INTERNALDATE fields before processing them, thereby preventing the buffer overflow condition from occurring.