Description
The write_one_header function in mutt 1.5.23 does not properly handle newline characters at the beginning of a header, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) via a header with an empty body, which triggers a heap-based buffer overflow in the mutt_substrdup function.
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 | mutt | 1.5.23-2 | — |
| Debian 13 | mutt | 1.5.23-2 | — |
| Debian 12 | mutt | 1.5.23-2 | — |
| Debian 7 | mutt | 1.5.21-6.2+deb7u3 | DSA-3083-1 |
| Debian 6.0 | mutt | 1.5.20-9+squeeze4 | DLA-100-1 |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 14.04 LTS | mutt | 1.5.21-6.4ubuntu2.1 | USN-2440-1 |
SUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| SLES 15 | mutt | 1.10.1-3.3.4 | SUSE-SU-2018:2085-1 |
| SLES 12 SP3 | mutt | 1.10.1-55.3.1 | SUSE-SU-2019:1196-1, SUSE-SU-2018:2084-1 |
Show 1 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| SLES for SAP 12 SP3 | mutt | 1.10.1-55.3.1 | SUSE-SU-2019:1196-1, SUSE-SU-2018:2084-1 |
openSUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| openSUSE Tumbleweed | mutt | 1.6.2-3.1 | openSUSE-SU-2024:10198-1 |
Advisories 7
- DSA-3083-1 mutt - security update Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
- DLA-100-1 mutt - security update Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
- USN-2440-1 mutt vulnerability Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Feb 10, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2018:2084-1 Security update for mutt SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2019:1196-1 Security update for mutt SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
- openSUSE-SU-2024:10198-1 mutt-1.6.2-3.1 on GA media SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2018:2085-1 Security update for mutt SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
References
- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1168463
- https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=771125
- SUSE-SU-2015:0012 vendor-advisory
- 1031266 vdb-entry
- http://dev.mutt.org/trac/ticket/3716
- [oss-security] 20141127 CVE request: mutt: heap-based buffer overflow in mutt_substrdup() mailing-list
- MDVSA-2015:078 vendor-advisory
- http://advisories.mageia.org/MGASA-2014-0509.html
- GLSA-201701-04 vendor-advisory
- [oss-security] 20141126 Re: CVE request: mutt: heap-based buffer overflow in mutt_substrdup() mailing-list
- 71334 vdb-entry
- DSA-3083 vendor-advisory
- MDVSA-2014:245 vendor-advisory