CVE-2008-5005
CWE-119Published: November 10, 2008· Updated: Jun 16, 2026
Official Description
Multiple stack-based buffer overflows in (1) University of Washington IMAP Toolkit 2002 through 2007c, (2) University of Washington Alpine 2.00 and earlier, and (3) Panda IMAP allow (a) local users to gain privileges by specifying a long folder extension argument on the command line to the tmail or dmail program; and (b) remote attackers to execute arbitrary code by sending e-mail to a destination mailbox name composed of a username and '+' character followed by a long string, processed by the tmail or possibly dmail program.
Technical Analysis
CVE-2008-5005 can be exploited remotely over the network without requiring physical or adjacent access, significantly expanding the attack surface for threat actors.
Exploitation requires some privileges, which limits the exposure to scenarios where an attacker has already gained initial access.
From a weakness classification perspective (CWE-119): Buffer overflow vulnerabilities can lead to arbitrary code execution or denial of service by corrupting adjacent memory.
CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown
Affected Vendors & Products
Exploit & PoC Resources
Official Patches & Advisories
All References (56)
Quick Facts
Related CVEs (CWE-119)
Recommended Actions
- →Apply vendor patches immediately
- →Monitor CVE-2008-5005 in threat intel feeds
- →Review IDS/IPS signatures for exploitation attempts