Description
In Apache SpamAssassin before 3.4.5, malicious rule configuration (.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 version 3.4.5, users should only use update channels or 3rd party .cf files from trusted places.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apache Software Foundation | Apache SpamAssassin | Apache SpamAssassin – < 3.4.5 | 3.4.5 |
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 | 3.4.5~pre1-1 | — |
| Debian 13 | spamassassin | 3.4.5~pre1-1 | — |
| Debian 12 | spamassassin | 3.4.5~pre1-1 | — |
| Debian 10 | spamassassin | 3.4.2-1+deb10u3 | DSA-4879-1 |
| Debian 9 | spamassassin | 3.4.2-1~deb9u4 | DLA-2615-1 |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | spamassassin | 3.4.4-1ubuntu1.1 | USN-4899-1 |
| Ubuntu 18.04 LTS | spamassassin | 3.4.2-0ubuntu0.18.04.5 | USN-4899-1 |
| Ubuntu 16.04 LTS | spamassassin | 3.4.2-0ubuntu0.16.04.5 | USN-4899-1 |
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+esm3 | USN-4899-2 |
Red Hat
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| RHEL 8 | spamassassin | 3.4.4-4.el8 | RHSA-2021:4315 |
AlmaLinux
Errata ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| AlmaLinux 8 | spamassassin | 3.4.4-4.el8 | ALSA-2021:4315 |
Rocky Linux
Errata ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rocky Linux 8 | spamassassin | 3.4.4-4.el8 | RLSA-2021:4315 |
SUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| SLES 15 SP2 | spamassassin | 3.4.5-12.10.1 | SUSE-SU-2021:1163-1 |
| SLES 15 SP1 | spamassassin | 3.4.5-12.10.1 | SUSE-SU-2021:1163-1 |
| SLES 15 | spamassassin | 3.4.5-7.14.1 | SUSE-SU-2021:1153-1 |
| SLES 12 SP5 | spamassassin | 3.4.5-44.13.1 | SUSE-SU-2021:1152-1 |
| SLES 12 SP4 | spamassassin | 3.4.5-44.13.1 | SUSE-SU-2021:1152-1 |
Show 18 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| SLES 12 SP3 | spamassassin | 3.4.5-44.13.1 | SUSE-SU-2021:1152-1 |
| SLES 12 SP2 | spamassassin | 3.4.5-44.13.1 | SUSE-SU-2021:1152-1 |
| SLES for SAP 15 SP1 | spamassassin | 3.4.5-12.10.1 | SUSE-SU-2021:1163-1 |
| SLES for SAP 15 | spamassassin | 3.4.5-7.14.1 | SUSE-SU-2021:1153-1 |
| SLES for SAP 12 SP5 | spamassassin | 3.4.5-44.13.1 | SUSE-SU-2021:1152-1 |
| SLES for SAP 12 SP4 | spamassassin | 3.4.5-44.13.1 | SUSE-SU-2021:1152-1 |
| SLES for SAP 12 SP3 | spamassassin | 3.4.5-44.13.1 | SUSE-SU-2021:1152-1 |
| SLE HPC 15 SP1 | spamassassin | 3.4.5-12.10.1 | SUSE-SU-2021:1163-1 |
| SLE HPC 15 | spamassassin | 3.4.5-7.14.1 | SUSE-SU-2021:1153-1 |
| SUSE OpenStack Cloud Crowbar 9 | spamassassin | 3.4.5-44.13.1 | SUSE-SU-2021:1152-1 |
| SUSE OpenStack Cloud Crowbar 8 | spamassassin | 3.4.5-44.13.1 | SUSE-SU-2021:1152-1 |
| SUSE OpenStack Cloud 9 | spamassassin | 3.4.5-44.13.1 | SUSE-SU-2021:1152-1 |
| SUSE OpenStack Cloud 8 | spamassassin | 3.4.5-44.13.1 | SUSE-SU-2021:1152-1 |
| SUSE Manager Server 4.0 | spamassassin | 3.4.5-12.10.1 | SUSE-SU-2021:1163-1 |
| SUSE Manager Retail Branch Server 4.0 | spamassassin | 3.4.5-12.10.1 | SUSE-SU-2021:1163-1 |
| SUSE Manager Proxy 4.0 | spamassassin | 3.4.5-12.10.1 | SUSE-SU-2021:1163-1 |
| SUSE HPE Helion OpenStack 8 | spamassassin | 3.4.5-44.13.1 | SUSE-SU-2021:1152-1 |
| SUSE Enterprise Storage 6 | spamassassin | 3.4.5-12.10.1 | SUSE-SU-2021:1163-1 |
openSUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| openSUSE Tumbleweed | spamassassin | 3.4.6-71.3 | openSUSE-SU-2024:11395-1 |
| openSUSE Leap 15.2 | spamassassin | 3.4.5-lp152.10.3.1 | openSUSE-SU-2021:0551-1 |
Alpine
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpine v3.24 | spamassassin | 3.4.5-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.23 | spamassassin | 3.4.5-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.22 | spamassassin | 3.4.5-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.21 | spamassassin | 3.4.5-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.20 | spamassassin | 3.4.5-r0 | — |
Show 10 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpine v3.19 | spamassassin | 3.4.5-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.18 | spamassassin | 3.4.5-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.17 | spamassassin | 3.4.5-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.16 | spamassassin | 3.4.5-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.15 | spamassassin | 3.4.5-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.14 | spamassassin | 3.4.5-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.13 | spamassassin | 3.4.5-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.12 | spamassassin | 3.4.5-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.11 | spamassassin | 3.4.5-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.10 | spamassassin | 3.4.5-r0 | — |
Amazon Linux
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon Linux 2 | spamassassin | 3.4.4-3.amzn2.0.1 | ALAS2-2021-1642 |
Oracle Linux
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oracle Linux 8 | spamassassin | 3.4.4-4.el8 | ELSA-2021-4315 |
Advisories 14
- ALSA-2021:4315 Moderate: spamassassin security update AlmaLinux Security Advisories · Oct 29, 2026
- DSA-4879-1 spamassassin - security update Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
- DLA-2615-1 spamassassin - security update Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
- USN-4899-1 spamassassin vulnerability Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Feb 10, 2026
- USN-4899-2 spamassassin vulnerability Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Feb 10, 2026
- RLSA-2021:4315 Moderate: spamassassin security update Rocky Linux Security Advisories · Feb 5, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2021:1152-1 Security update for spamassassin SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
- openSUSE-SU-2021:0551-1 Security update for spamassassin SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2021:1153-1 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
- RHSA-2021:4315 Red Hat Security Advisory: spamassassin security update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Nov 22, 2025
- SUSE-SU-2021:1163-1 Security update for spamassassin SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · May 2, 2025
- ELSA-2021-4315 Moderate: spamassassin security update (Oracle Linux 8) Oracle Linux Security Advisories (ELSA) · Nov 16, 2021
- ALAS2-2021-1642 Moderate: spamassassin security update (Amazon Linux 2) Amazon Linux Security Center (ALAS) · May 24, 2021
References
- https://s.apache.org/3r1wh
- DSA-4879 vendor-advisory
- FEDORA-2021-bf06dcffa8 vendor-advisory
- [debian-lts-announce] 20210401 [SECURITY] [DLA 2615-1] spamassassin security update mailing-list
- FEDORA-2021-90e915cc4f vendor-advisory
- FEDORA-2021-5a4377797c vendor-advisory
- GLSA-202105-26 vendor-advisory