CVE-2018-14360 in NeoMutt
Summary
by MITRE
An issue was discovered in NeoMutt before 2018-07-16. nntp_add_group in newsrc.c has a stack-based buffer overflow because of incorrect sscanf usage.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/09/2023
The vulnerability CVE-2018-14360 represents a critical stack-based buffer overflow in NeoMutt email client software prior to version 2018-07-16. This flaw exists within the nntp_add_group function located in the newsrc.c source file, which handles Network News Transfer Protocol group management operations. The vulnerability specifically arises from improper usage of the sscanf function, which fails to properly validate input length before copying data into fixed-size stack buffers. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-121 Stack-based Buffer Overflow, a well-documented weakness that occurs when a program writes data beyond the boundaries of a fixed-length buffer allocated on the stack.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when NeoMutt processes NNTP group listings, particularly when parsing group names or metadata from news servers. The incorrect sscanf usage allows an attacker to provide maliciously crafted input that exceeds the predetermined buffer size, causing adjacent stack memory to be overwritten. This overflow can lead to arbitrary code execution, as the overwritten memory locations may contain return addresses, function pointers, or other critical control data. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it can be triggered during normal email client operation when connecting to malicious NNTP servers or when processing malformed news group listings.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to email security and system integrity. Attackers could exploit this flaw by hosting malicious NNTP servers that respond with oversized group names or metadata, potentially allowing remote code execution on systems running vulnerable versions of NeoMutt. The impact extends beyond simple privilege escalation as the vulnerability could be leveraged in supply chain attacks or targeted campaigns against users who regularly access news groups through the affected email client. The exploitability of this vulnerability is enhanced by the fact that it requires no special privileges to trigger and can be executed through normal network operations.
Organizations using NeoMutt should immediately implement mitigations including updating to version 2018-07-16 or later, which contains the necessary patches to address the buffer overflow. Additionally, administrators should consider implementing network segmentation and monitoring for unusual NNTP traffic patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper input validation and buffer management in security-critical applications, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter usage and T1203 for exploitation for privilege escalation. Security teams should also conduct thorough code reviews focusing on sscanf and similar functions to identify similar patterns that might exist in other parts of the codebase, ensuring comprehensive protection against similar stack-based buffer overflow vulnerabilities.