Description
SpamAssassin before 3.1.3, when running with vpopmail and the paranoid (-P) switch, allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands via a crafted message that is not properly handled when invoking spamd with the virtual pop username.
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 | spamassassin | 3.1.3-1 | — |
| Debian 13 | spamassassin | 3.1.3-1 | — |
| Debian 12 | spamassassin | 3.1.3-1 | — |
| Debian 3.1 | spamassassin | 3.0.3-2sarge1 | DSA-1090-1 |
Red Hat
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| RHEL 4 | spamassassin | 3.0.6-1.el4 | RHSA-2006:0543 |
Public exploits
Exploit or proof-of-concept code for this vulnerability is publicly available, which lowers the bar for attackers. Treat it as a reason to patch sooner.
Third-party code, not reviewed by us. Public PoCs are sometimes fake or contain malware. Read the code first and run it only in an isolated lab, against systems you are authorised to test.
Metasploit 1 module
-
SpamAssassin spamd Remote Command Execution
exploit/unix/misc/spamassassin_exec
Exploit-DB 2
- SpamAssassin spamd - Remote Command Execution (Metasploit) EDB-16920 · remote · Apr 30, 2010 · verified
- SpamAssassin spamd 3.1.3 - Command Injection (Metasploit) EDB-9914 · remote · Jun 6, 2006 · verified
Sources: PoC-in-GitHub, Metasploit Framework, Exploit-DB — updated daily. Only links are listed; no exploit code is hosted here.
Advisories 2
- RHSA-2006:0543 Red Hat Security Advisory: spamassassin security update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Jun 26, 2026
- DSA-1090-1 spamassassin - programming error Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
References
- 20482 third-party-advisory
- 20060607 rPSA-2006-0096-1 spamassassin mailing-list
- oval:org.mitre.oval:def:9184 vdb-entry signature
- 2006-0034 vendor-advisory
- GLSA-200606-09 vendor-advisory
- 20692 third-party-advisory
- 20566 third-party-advisory
- 18290 vdb-entry
- 20430 third-party-advisory
- http://www.nabble.com/ANNOUNCE%3A-Apache-SpamAssassin-3.1.3-available%21-t1736096.html
- RHSA-2006:0543 vendor-advisory
- ADV-2006-2148 vdb-entry
- 20531 third-party-advisory
- 1016230 vdb-entry
- DSA-1090 vendor-advisory
- spamassassin-spamd-command-execution(27008) vdb-entry
- 20443 third-party-advisory
- 1016235 vdb-entry
- MDKSA-2006:103 vendor-advisory