CVE-2014-9116: Buffer Overflow
A heap-based buffer overflow flaw was reported in the muttsubstrdup() function in Mutt. Opening a specially-crafted mail message could cause mutt to crash or, potentially, execute arbitrary code.
CVE request:
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2014/11/27/5
In testing on Fedora, "set weed=no" had to be set in the user's .muttrc before the issue presented.
Other sources
The writeoneheader 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 muttsubstrdup function.
— MITRE
Affected Software
Event History
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the severity of CVE-2014-9116?
CVE-2014-9116 has a high severity rating due to the potential for arbitrary code execution and crashes.
How do I fix CVE-2014-9116?
To fix CVE-2014-9116, users should upgrade their Mutt package to a version that is not vulnerable, specifically versions 1.5.23-2 or later.
Which software is affected by CVE-2014-9116?
CVE-2014-9116 affects specific versions of the Mutt email client across various Linux distributions such as Debian and SUSE.
What vulnerability type is CVE-2014-9116?
CVE-2014-9116 is classified as a heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability.
Can CVE-2014-9116 result in data loss?
While CVE-2014-9116 primarily allows for arbitrary code execution, it could potentially lead to data loss depending on the executed code.