Memory Leak Vulnerability in Dovecot Package: CVE-2017-15132
Summary
ALPINE-CVE-2017-15132: A flaw was found in dovecot 2.0 up to 2.2.33 and 2.3.0. Affects dovecot versions < 2.3.1-r0. Fixed in 2.3.1-r0. How to fix ↓
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Background
Dovecot is an open-source IMAP and POP3 email server for Unix-like operating systems, designed for security and performance. It supports various authentication mechanisms and is widely used for managing email services. The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-15132 affects Dovecot versions 2.0 to 2.3.0, where an abort in SASL authentication can lead to a memory leak, impacting high-performance configurations.
Vulnerability Detail
A flaw was found in Dovecot versions 2.0 up to 2.2.33 and 2.3.0, where an abort of SASL authentication results in a memory leak in Dovecot's authentication client used by login processes. This memory leak can lead to memory exhaustion, causing the process to crash, particularly in high-performance environments where the same login processes are reused. The vulnerability has a CVSS score of 7.5, indicating a high severity level.
How To Fix
Minimum fixed version
2.3.1-r0
This is the first release that contains the fix.
sudo apk add --upgrade dovecotTip — Not sure which version your app runs? Vulert can match this fix to it. Scan free →
Workaround
As a temporary workaround, consider limiting the number of concurrent login processes or implementing additional monitoring to detect memory usage spikes. This can help mitigate the impact until the package is updated.
Conclusion
The CVE-2017-15132 vulnerability in Dovecot poses a significant risk due to memory leaks during SASL authentication aborts, which can lead to crashes in high-performance environments. It is crucial to update to the patched version to mitigate this risk effectively.
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FAQ
CVE-2017-15132 is a vulnerability in Dovecot that causes a memory leak during SASL authentication aborts, potentially leading to process crashes.
Dovecot versions 2.0 to 2.2.33 and 2.3.0 are affected by this vulnerability.
You can use Vulert, which monitors open-source vulnerabilities in real-time. You can check your application using the Vulert playground at Vulert Scanner without signing up.
The vulnerability has a CVSS score of 7.5, indicating it is of high severity.
If immediate updates are not possible, implement workarounds such as limiting concurrent logins and monitoring memory usage to reduce the risk of crashes.
References
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