Description
rfc822.c in Mutt through 2.0.4 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (mailbox unavailability) by sending email messages with sequences of semicolon characters in RFC822 address fields (aka terminators of empty groups). A small email message from the attacker can cause large memory consumption, and the victim may then be unable to see email messages from other persons.
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 | 2.0.5-1 | — |
| Debian 13 | mutt | 2.0.5-1 | — |
| Debian 12 | mutt | 2.0.5-1 | — |
| Debian 10 | mutt | 1.10.1-2.1+deb10u5 | DSA-4838-1 |
| Debian 9 | mutt | 1.7.2-1+deb9u5 | DLA-2529-1 |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | mutt | 1.13.2-1ubuntu0.4 | USN-4703-1 |
| Ubuntu 18.04 LTS | mutt | 1.9.4-3ubuntu0.5 | USN-4703-1 |
| Ubuntu 16.04 LTS | mutt | 1.5.24-1ubuntu0.6 | USN-4703-1 |
Red Hat
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| RHEL 8 | mutt | 5:2.0.7-1.el8 | RHSA-2021:4181 |
AlmaLinux
Errata ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| AlmaLinux 8 | mutt | 5:2.0.7-1.el8 | ALSA-2021:4181 |
Rocky Linux
Errata ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rocky Linux 8 | mutt | 5:2.0.7-1.el8 | RLSA-2021:4181 |
SUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| SLES 15 SP2 | mutt | 1.10.1-3.20.1 | SUSE-SU-2021:0195-1 |
| SLES 12 SP5 | mutt | 1.10.1-55.24.1 | SUSE-SU-2021:0196-1 |
Show 1 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| SLES for SAP 12 SP5 | mutt | 1.10.1-55.24.1 | SUSE-SU-2021:0196-1 |
openSUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| openSUSE Tumbleweed | mutt | 2.0.7-2.2 | openSUSE-SU-2024:11069-1 |
| openSUSE Leap 15.2 | mutt | 1.10.1-lp152.3.15.1 | openSUSE-SU-2021:0162-1 |
| openSUSE Leap 15.1 | mutt | 1.10.1-lp151.2.15.1 | openSUSE-SU-2021:0161-1 |
Alpine
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpine v3.24 | mutt | 2.0.4-r1 | — |
| Alpine v3.23 | mutt | 2.0.4-r1 | — |
| Alpine v3.22 | mutt | 2.0.4-r1 | — |
| Alpine v3.21 | mutt | 2.0.4-r1 | — |
| Alpine v3.20 | mutt | 2.0.4-r1 | — |
Show 8 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpine v3.19 | mutt | 2.0.4-r1 | — |
| Alpine v3.18 | mutt | 2.0.4-r1 | — |
| Alpine v3.17 | mutt | 2.0.4-r1 | — |
| Alpine v3.16 | mutt | 2.0.4-r1 | — |
| Alpine v3.15 | mutt | 2.0.4-r1 | — |
| Alpine v3.14 | mutt | 2.0.4-r1 | — |
| Alpine v3.13 | mutt | 2.0.4-r1 | — |
| Alpine v3.12 | mutt | 1.14.7-r0 | — |
Amazon Linux
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon Linux 2 | mutt | 5:1.5.21-29.amzn2.0.1 | ALAS2-2022-1892 |
Oracle Linux
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oracle Linux 8 | mutt | 5:2.0.7-1.el8 | ELSA-2021-4181 |
Advisories 14
- ALSA-2021:4181 Moderate: mutt security, bug fix, and enhancement update AlmaLinux Security Advisories · Oct 29, 2026
- DSA-4838-1 mutt - security update Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
- DLA-2529-1 mutt - security update Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
- USN-4703-1 mutt vulnerability Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Feb 10, 2026
- RLSA-2021:4181 Moderate: mutt security, bug fix, and enhancement update Rocky Linux Security Advisories · Feb 4, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2021:0195-1 Security update for mutt SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
- openSUSE-SU-2021:0161-1 Security update for mutt SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
- openSUSE-SU-2021:0162-1 Security update for mutt SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
- openSUSE-SU-2024:11069-1 mutt-2.0.7-2.2 on GA media SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2021:0196-1 Security update for mutt SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
- RHSA-2021:4181 Red Hat Security Advisory: mutt security, bug fix, and enhancement update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Nov 22, 2025
- WID-SEC-2022-2240 mutt: Schwachstelle ermöglicht Denial of Service BSI CERT-Bund (WID) · Dec 6, 2022
- ALAS2-2022-1892 Moderate: mutt security update (Amazon Linux 2) Amazon Linux Security Center (ALAS) · Dec 6, 2022
- ELSA-2021-4181 Moderate: mutt security, bug fix, and enhancement update (Oracle Linux 8) Oracle Linux Security Advisories (ELSA) · Nov 16, 2021
References
- https://gitlab.com/muttmua/mutt/-/issues/323
- https://gitlab.com/muttmua/mutt/-/commit/4a2becbdb4422aaffe3ce314991b9d670b7adf17
- https://gitlab.com/muttmua/mutt/-/commit/939b02b33ae29bc0d642570c1dcfd4b339037d19
- https://gitlab.com/muttmua/mutt/-/commit/d4305208955c5cdd9fe96dfa61e7c1e14e176a14
- [oss-security] 20210119 Re: mutt recipient parsing memory leak mailing-list
- [debian-lts-announce] 20210120 [SECURITY] [DLA 2529-1] mutt security update mailing-list
- GLSA-202101-25 vendor-advisory
- DSA-4838 vendor-advisory
- [oss-security] 20210127 glibc iconv crash with ISO-2022-JP-3 mailing-list
- FEDORA-2021-a4f016c6c8 vendor-advisory
- FEDORA-2021-4205e1fc23 vendor-advisory