Description
In Apache SpamAssassin before 3.4.3, nefarious CF files can be configured to run system commands without any output or errors. With this, exploits can be injected in a number of scenarios. In addition to upgrading to SA 3.4.3, we recommend that users should only use update channels or 3rd party .cf files from trusted places.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apache | Apache SpamAssassin | Apache SpamAssassin prior to 3.4.3 | — |
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 | 3.4.3~rc6-1 | — |
| Debian 13 | spamassassin | 3.4.3~rc6-1 | — |
| Debian 12 | spamassassin | 3.4.3~rc6-1 | — |
| Debian 10 | spamassassin | 3.4.2-1+deb10u1 | DSA-4584-1 |
| Debian 9 | spamassassin | 3.4.2-1~deb9u2 | DSA-4584-1 |
Show 1 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian 8 | spamassassin | 3.4.2-0+deb8u2 | DLA-2037-1 |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 18.04 LTS | spamassassin | 3.4.2-0ubuntu0.18.04.2 | USN-4237-1 |
| Ubuntu 16.04 LTS | spamassassin | 3.4.2-0ubuntu0.16.04.2 | USN-4237-1 |
Show 1 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu Pro 14.04 LTS | spamassassin | 3.4.2-0ubuntu0.14.04.1+esm1 | USN-4237-2 |
Red Hat
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| RHEL 8 | spamassassin | 3.4.2-10.el8 | RHSA-2020:4625 |
SUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| SLES 15 SP1 | spamassassin | 3.4.2-12.5.1 | SUSE-SU-2020:0811-1 |
| SLES 15 | spamassassin | 3.4.2-7.9.1 | SUSE-SU-2020:0813-1 |
| SLES 12 SP5 | spamassassin | 3.4.2-44.8.1 | SUSE-SU-2020:0810-1 |
| SLES 12 SP4 | spamassassin | 3.4.2-44.8.1 | SUSE-SU-2020:0810-1 |
| SLES 12 SP3 | spamassassin | 3.4.2-44.8.1 | SUSE-SU-2020:0810-1 |
Show 14 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| SLES 12 SP2 | spamassassin | 3.4.2-44.8.1 | SUSE-SU-2020:0810-1 |
| SLES 12 SP1 | spamassassin | 3.4.2-44.8.1 | SUSE-SU-2020:0810-1 |
| SLES for SAP 15 | spamassassin | 3.4.2-7.9.1 | SUSE-SU-2020:0813-1 |
| SLES for SAP 12 SP5 | spamassassin | 3.4.2-44.8.1 | SUSE-SU-2020:0810-1 |
| SLES for SAP 12 SP4 | spamassassin | 3.4.2-44.8.1 | SUSE-SU-2020:0810-1 |
| SLES for SAP 12 SP3 | spamassassin | 3.4.2-44.8.1 | SUSE-SU-2020:0810-1 |
| SLES for SAP 12 SP2 | spamassassin | 3.4.2-44.8.1 | SUSE-SU-2020:0810-1 |
| SLES for SAP 12 SP1 | spamassassin | 3.4.2-44.8.1 | SUSE-SU-2020:0810-1 |
| SLE HPC 15 | spamassassin | 3.4.2-7.9.1 | SUSE-SU-2020:0813-1 |
| SUSE OpenStack Cloud Crowbar 8 | spamassassin | 3.4.2-44.8.1 | SUSE-SU-2020:0810-1 |
| SUSE OpenStack Cloud 8 | spamassassin | 3.4.2-44.8.1 | SUSE-SU-2020:0810-1 |
| SUSE OpenStack Cloud 7 | spamassassin | 3.4.2-44.8.1 | SUSE-SU-2020:0810-1 |
| SUSE HPE Helion OpenStack 8 | spamassassin | 3.4.2-44.8.1 | SUSE-SU-2020:0810-1 |
| SUSE Enterprise Storage 5 | spamassassin | 3.4.2-44.8.1 | SUSE-SU-2020:0810-1 |
openSUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| openSUSE Tumbleweed | spamassassin | 3.4.6-71.3 | openSUSE-SU-2024:11395-1 |
| openSUSE Leap 15.1 | spamassassin | 3.4.2-lp151.8.3.1 | openSUSE-SU-2020:0446-1 |
Alpine
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpine v3.24 | spamassassin | 3.4.3-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.23 | spamassassin | 3.4.3-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.22 | spamassassin | 3.4.3-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.21 | spamassassin | 3.4.3-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.20 | spamassassin | 3.4.3-r0 | — |
Show 12 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpine v3.19 | spamassassin | 3.4.3-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.18 | spamassassin | 3.4.3-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.17 | spamassassin | 3.4.3-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.16 | spamassassin | 3.4.3-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.15 | spamassassin | 3.4.3-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.14 | spamassassin | 3.4.3-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.13 | spamassassin | 3.4.3-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.12 | spamassassin | 3.4.3-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.11 | spamassassin | 3.4.3-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.10 | spamassassin | 3.4.3-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.9 | spamassassin | 3.4.3-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.8 | spamassassin | 3.4.3-r0 | — |
Oracle Linux
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oracle Linux 8 | spamassassin | 3.4.2-10.el8 | ELSA-2020-4625 |
Advisories 11
- RHSA-2020:4625 Red Hat Security Advisory: spamassassin security update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Jun 27, 2026
- DSA-4584-1 spamassassin - security update Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
- DLA-2037-1 spamassassin - security update Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
- USN-4237-1 spamassassin vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Feb 10, 2026
- USN-4237-2 spamassassin vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Feb 10, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2020:0810-1 Security update for spamassassin SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2020:0811-1 Security update for spamassassin SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
- openSUSE-SU-2020:0446-1 Security update for spamassassin SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2020:0813-1 Security update for spamassassin SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
- openSUSE-SU-2024:11395-1 perl-Mail-SpamAssassin-3.4.6-71.3 on GA media SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
- ELSA-2020-4625 Moderate: spamassassin security update (Oracle Linux 8) Oracle Linux Security Advisories (ELSA) · Nov 10, 2020
References
- [spamassassin-users] 20191212 [SECURITY] Apache SpamAssassin v3.4.3 released with fix for CVE-2018-11805 mailing-list
- [spamassassin-dev] 20191212 [SECURITY] Apache SpamAssassin v3.4.3 released with fix for CVE-2018-11805 mailing-list
- [spamassassin-announce] 20191212 [SECURITY] Apache SpamAssassin v3.4.3 released with fix for CVE-2018-11805 mailing-list
- [oss-security] 20191212 Apache SpamAssassin v3.4.3 released with fix for CVE-2018-11805 mailing-list
- [announce] 20191212 [SECURITY] Apache SpamAssassin v3.4.3 released with fix for CVE-2018-11805 mailing-list
- https://seclists.org/oss-sec/2019/q4/154
- https://svn.apache.org/repos/asf/spamassassin/branches/3.4/build/announcements/3.4.3.txt
- https://bz.apache.org/SpamAssassin/show_bug.cgi?id=7647
- DSA-4584 vendor-advisory
- 20191216 [SECURITY] [DSA 4584-1] spamassassin security update mailing-list
- [debian-lts-announce] 20191216 [SECURITY] [DLA 2037-1] spamassassin security update mailing-list
- [spamassassin-users] 20191218 CVE-2018-11805 fix and sa-exim mailing-list
- [spamassassin-users] 20191218 Re: CVE-2018-11805 fix and sa-exim mailing-list
- [spamassassin-users] 20191219 Re: CVE-2018-11805 fix and sa-exim mailing-list
- USN-4237-1 vendor-advisory
- USN-4237-2 vendor-advisory
- [spamassassin-dev] 20200130 [CVE-2020-1931] Apache SpamAssassin Nefarious rule configuration (.cf) files can be configured to run system commands with warnings. mailing-list
- [spamassassin-announce] 20200130 [CVE-2020-1931] Apache SpamAssassin Nefarious rule configuration (.cf) files can be configured to run system commands with warnings. mailing-list
- [spamassassin-users] 20200130 [CVE-2020-1931] Apache SpamAssassin Nefarious rule configuration (.cf) files can be configured to run system commands with warnings. mailing-list
- [spamassassin-users] 20200130 [CVE-2020-1930] Apache SpamAssassin Nefarious rule configuration (.cf) files can be configured to run system commands mailing-list
- [spamassassin-announce] 20200130 [CVE-2020-1930] Apache SpamAssassin Nefarious rule configuration (.cf) files can be configured to run system commands mailing-list
- [announce] 20200130 [CVE-2020-1931] Apache SpamAssassin Nefarious rule configuration (.cf) files can be configured to run system commands with warnings. mailing-list
- [spamassassin-dev] 20200130 [CVE-2020-1930] Apache SpamAssassin Nefarious rule configuration (.cf) files can be configured to run system commands mailing-list
- [oss-security] 20200130 [CVE-2020-1930] Apache SpamAssassin Nefarious rule configuration (.cf) files can be configured to run system commands mailing-list
- [oss-security] 20200130 [CVE-2020-1931] Apache SpamAssassin Nefarious rule configuration (.cf) files can be configured to run system commands with warnings. mailing-list
- [spamassassin-users] 20200130 Re: ANNOUNCE: Apache SpamAssassin 3.4.4 available mailing-list
- [announce] 20200130 [CVE-2020-1930] Apache SpamAssassin Nefarious rule configuration (.cf) files can be configured to run system commands mailing-list
- [spamassassin-users] 20200131 Re: ANNOUNCE: Apache SpamAssassin 3.4.4 available mailing-list
- openSUSE-SU-2020:0446 vendor-advisory