Description
In Dovecot before 2.2.36.3 and 2.3.x before 2.3.5.1, a local attacker can cause a buffer overflow in the indexer-worker process, which can be used to elevate to root. This occurs because of missing checks in the fts and pop3-uidl components.
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 | dovecot | 1:2.3.4.1-3 | — |
| Debian 13 | dovecot | 1:2.3.4.1-3 | — |
| Debian 12 | dovecot | 1:2.3.4.1-3 | — |
| Debian 9 | dovecot | 1:2.2.27-3+deb9u4 | DSA-4418-1 |
| Debian 8 | dovecot | 1:2.2.13-12~deb8u6 | DLA-1736-1 |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 18.04 LTS | dovecot | 1:2.2.33.2-1ubuntu4.3 | USN-3928-1 |
| Ubuntu 16.04 LTS | dovecot | 1:2.2.22-1ubuntu2.10 | USN-3928-1 |
| Ubuntu 14.04 LTS | dovecot | 1:2.2.9-1ubuntu2.6 | USN-3928-1 |
Red Hat
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| RHEL 7 | dovecot +4 | 1:2.2.36-6.el7 | RHSA-2020:1062 |
SUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| SLES 15 | dovecot23 | 2.3.3-4.10.1 | SUSE-SU-2019:0876-1 |
| SLES 12 SP4 | dovecot22 | 2.2.31-19.14.2 | SUSE-SU-2019:0900-1 |
| SLES 12 SP3 | dovecot22 | 2.2.31-19.14.2 | SUSE-SU-2019:0900-1 |
| SLES 12 SP2 | dovecot22 | 2.2.31-19.14.2 | SUSE-SU-2019:0900-1 |
| SLES 12 SP1 | dovecot22 | 2.2.31-19.14.2 | SUSE-SU-2019:0900-1 |
Show 7 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| SLES 12 | dovecot22 | 2.2.31-19.14.2 | SUSE-SU-2019:0900-1 |
| SLES for SAP 12 SP4 | dovecot22 | 2.2.31-19.14.2 | SUSE-SU-2019:0900-1 |
| SLES for SAP 12 SP3 | dovecot22 | 2.2.31-19.14.2 | SUSE-SU-2019:0900-1 |
| SLES for SAP 12 SP2 | dovecot22 | 2.2.31-19.14.2 | SUSE-SU-2019:0900-1 |
| SLES for SAP 12 SP1 | dovecot22 | 2.2.31-19.14.2 | SUSE-SU-2019:0900-1 |
| SUSE OpenStack Cloud 7 | dovecot22 | 2.2.31-19.14.2 | SUSE-SU-2019:0900-1 |
| SUSE Enterprise Storage 4 | dovecot22 | 2.2.31-19.14.2 | SUSE-SU-2019:0900-1 |
openSUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| openSUSE Tumbleweed | dovecot23 | 2.3.16-1.6 | openSUSE-SU-2024:10726-1 |
| openSUSE Tumbleweed | dovecot24 | 2.4.0-1.1 | openSUSE-SU-2025:14715-1 |
| openSUSE Leap 15.0 | dovecot23 | 2.3.3-lp150.8.2 | openSUSE-SU-2019:1212-1 |
Alpine
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpine v3.24 | dovecot | 2.3.5.1-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.23 | dovecot | 2.3.5.1-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.22 | dovecot | 2.3.5.1-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.21 | dovecot | 2.3.5.1-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.20 | dovecot | 2.3.5.1-r0 | — |
Show 14 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpine v3.19 | dovecot | 2.3.5.1-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.18 | dovecot | 2.3.5.1-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.17 | dovecot | 2.3.5.1-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.16 | dovecot | 2.3.5.1-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.15 | dovecot | 2.3.5.1-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.14 | dovecot | 2.3.5.1-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.13 | dovecot | 2.3.5.1-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.12 | dovecot | 2.3.5.1-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.11 | dovecot | 2.3.5.1-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.10 | dovecot | 2.3.5.1-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.9 | dovecot | 2.3.5.1-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.8 | dovecot | 2.3.5.1-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.7 | dovecot | 2.2.36.3-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.6 | dovecot | 2.2.36.3-r0 | — |
Amazon Linux
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon Linux 2 | dovecot +4 | 1:2.2.36-6.amzn2 | ALAS2-2020-1473 |
Oracle Linux
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oracle Linux 7 | dovecot +4 | 1:2.2.36-6.el7 | ELSA-2020-1062 |
Advisories 12
- RHSA-2020:1062 Red Hat Security Advisory: dovecot security and bug fix update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Jun 26, 2026
- USN-3928-1 dovecot vulnerability Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Apr 22, 2026
- DSA-4418-1 dovecot - security update Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
- DLA-1736-1 dovecot - security update Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2019:0900-1 Security update for dovecot22 SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
- openSUSE-SU-2025:14715-1 dovecot24-2.4.0-1.1 on GA media SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
- openSUSE-SU-2019:1212-1 Security update for dovecot23 SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2019:0876-1 Security update for dovecot23 SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
- openSUSE-SU-2024:10726-1 dovecot23-2.3.16-1.6 on GA media SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · May 7, 2025
- WID-SEC-2025-0242 Dovecot: Schwachstelle ermöglicht Erlangen von Administratorrechten BSI CERT-Bund (WID) · Feb 2, 2025
- ALAS2-2020-1473 Moderate: dovecot security update (Amazon Linux 2) Amazon Linux Security Center (ALAS) · Aug 25, 2020
- ELSA-2020-1062 Moderate: dovecot security and bug fix update (Oracle Linux 7) Oracle Linux Security Advisories (ELSA) · Apr 6, 2020
References
- https://dovecot.org/security.html
- https://dovecot.org/list/dovecot-news/2019-March/000403.html
- [oss-security] 20190328 CVE-2019-7524: Buffer overflow when reading extension header from dovecot index files mailing-list
- 20190328 [SECURITY] [DSA 4418-1] dovecot security update mailing-list
- DSA-4418 vendor-advisory
- [debian-lts-announce] 20190329 [SECURITY] [DLA 1736-1] dovecot security update mailing-list
- USN-3928-1 vendor-advisory
- 107672 vdb-entry
- openSUSE-SU-2019:1212 vendor-advisory
- openSUSE-SU-2019:1220 vendor-advisory
- GLSA-201904-19 vendor-advisory
- FEDORA-2019-9e004decea vendor-advisory
- FEDORA-2019-1b61a528dd vendor-advisory