RHSA-2003:111
Vulnerability from csaf_redhat - Published: 2003-05-22 16:41 - Updated: 2025-11-21 17:25Summary
Red Hat Security Advisory: balsa security update
Severity
Important
Notes
Topic: Updated Balsa packages are available which fix potential vulnerabilities in
the IMAP handling code and in libesmtp.
Details: Balsa is a GNOME email client which includes code from Mutt.
A potential buffer overflow exists in Balsa versions 1.2 and higher when
parsing mailbox names returned by an IMAP server. It is possible that a
hostile IMAP server could cause arbitrary code to be executed by the user
running Balsa.
Additionally, a buffer overflow in libesmtp (an SMTP library used by Balsa)
before version 0.8.11 allows a hostile remote SMTP server to execute
arbitrary code via a certain response or cause a denial of service via long
server responses.
Users of Balsa are recommended to upgrade to these erratum packages which
include updated versions of Balsa and libesmtp which are not vulnerable to
these issues.
Red Hat would like to thank CORE security for discovering the
vulnerability, and the Mutt team for providing a patch.
Terms of Use: This content is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). If you distribute this content, or a modified version of it, you must provide attribution to Red Hat Inc. and provide a link to the original.
Buffer overflow in read_smtp_response of protocol.c in libesmtp before 0.8.11 allows a remote SMTP server to (1) execute arbitrary code via a certain response or (2) cause a denial of service via long server responses.
Vendor Fix
Before applying this update, make sure all previously released errata
relevant to your system have been applied.
To update all RPMs for your particular architecture, run:
rpm -Fvh [filenames]
where [filenames] is a list of the RPMs you wish to upgrade. Only those
RPMs which are currently installed will be updated. Those RPMs which are
not installed but included in the list will not be updated. Note that you
can also use wildcards (*.rpm) if your current directory *only* contains the
desired RPMs.
Please note that this update is also available via Red Hat Network. Many
people find this an easier way to apply updates. To use Red Hat Network,
launch the Red Hat Update Agent with the following command:
up2date
This will start an interactive process that will result in the appropriate
RPMs being upgraded on your system.
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2003:111
Buffer overflow in Mutt 1.4.0 and possibly earlier versions, 1.5.x up to 1.5.3, and other programs that use Mutt code such as Balsa before 2.0.10, allows a remote malicious IMAP server to cause a denial of service (crash) and possibly execute arbitrary code via a crafted folder.
Vendor Fix
Before applying this update, make sure all previously released errata
relevant to your system have been applied.
To update all RPMs for your particular architecture, run:
rpm -Fvh [filenames]
where [filenames] is a list of the RPMs you wish to upgrade. Only those
RPMs which are currently installed will be updated. Those RPMs which are
not installed but included in the list will not be updated. Note that you
can also use wildcards (*.rpm) if your current directory *only* contains the
desired RPMs.
Please note that this update is also available via Red Hat Network. Many
people find this an easier way to apply updates. To use Red Hat Network,
launch the Red Hat Update Agent with the following command:
up2date
This will start an interactive process that will result in the appropriate
RPMs being upgraded on your system.
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2003:111
References
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Sightings
| Author | Source | Type | Date |
|---|
Nomenclature
- Seen: The vulnerability was mentioned, discussed, or observed by the user.
- Confirmed: The vulnerability has been validated from an analyst's perspective.
- Published Proof of Concept: A public proof of concept is available for this vulnerability.
- Exploited: The vulnerability was observed as exploited by the user who reported the sighting.
- Patched: The vulnerability was observed as successfully patched by the user who reported the sighting.
- Not exploited: The vulnerability was not observed as exploited by the user who reported the sighting.
- Not confirmed: The user expressed doubt about the validity of the vulnerability.
- Not patched: The vulnerability was not observed as successfully patched by the user who reported the sighting.
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