Description
The expand function in fio.c in Heirloom mailx 12.5 and earlier and BSD mailx 8.1.2 and earlier allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands via shell metacharacters in an email address.
Fixed in Linux distributions
Distributions backport fixes, so the version that fixes this vulnerability differs per release — upgrade to at least the version shown. From the distributions' security trackers and advisories.
Debian
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian 14 | bsd-mailx | 8.1.2-0.20071201cvs-1 | — |
| Debian 13 | bsd-mailx | 8.1.2-0.20071201cvs-1 | — |
| Debian 12 | bsd-mailx | 8.1.2-0.20071201cvs-1 | — |
| Debian 7 | heirloom-mailx | 12.5-2+deb7u1 | DSA-3105-1 |
| Debian 6.0 | heirloom-mailx | 12.4-2+deb6u1 | DLA-114-1 |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 14.04 LTS | heirloom-mailx | 12.5-2+deb7u1build0.14.04.1 | — |
Red Hat
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| RHEL 7 | mailx | 12.5-12.el7_0 | RHSA-2014:1999 |
| RHEL 6 | mailx | 12.4-8.el6_6 | RHSA-2014:1999 |
openSUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| openSUSE Tumbleweed | mailx | 12.5-24.4 | openSUSE-SU-2024:10561-1 |
Azure Linux
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Azure Linux 3 | mailx | 12.5-36 | — |
| Azure Linux 2 (CBL-Mariner) | mailx | 12.5-34 | — |
Oracle Linux
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oracle Linux 7 | mailx | 12.5-12.el7_0 | ELSA-2014-1999 |
Advisories 5
- RHSA-2014:1999 Red Hat Security Advisory: mailx security update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Jun 26, 2026
- DSA-3105-1 heirloom-mailx - security update Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
- DLA-114-1 heirloom-mailx - security update Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
- openSUSE-SU-2024:10561-1 mailx-12.5-24.4 on GA media SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
- ELSA-2014-1999 Moderate: mailx security update (Oracle Linux 7) Oracle Linux Security Advisories (ELSA) · Dec 16, 2014
References
- http://linux.oracle.com/errata/ELSA-2014-1999.html
- DSA-3105 vendor-advisory
- 61693 third-party-advisory
- https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=278748
- [oss-security] 20141216 mailx issues (CVE-2004-2771, CVE-2014-7844) mailing-list
- 60940 third-party-advisory
- 61585 third-party-advisory
- RHSA-2014:1999 vendor-advisory