HOME VULNERABILITIESCVE-2011-1720

MEDIUM

CVE-2011-1720

CWE-119Published: May 13, 2011· Updated: Jun 16, 2026

6.8

CVSS v3.1

Official Description

The SMTP server in Postfix before 2.5.13, 2.6.x before 2.6.10, 2.7.x before 2.7.4, and 2.8.x before 2.8.3, when certain Cyrus SASL authentication methods are enabled, does not create a new server handle after client authentication fails, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (heap memory corruption and daemon crash) or possibly execute arbitrary code via an invalid AUTH command with one method followed by an AUTH command with a different method.

Technical Analysis

CVE-2011-1720 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

Exploitability

Attack VectorNetwork

Attack ComplexityM

Privileges Req.

User Interaction

Scope

Impact

ConfidentialityP

IntegrityP

AvailabilityP

AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P

Affected Vendors & Products

postfix1 product(s)

postfix

Source: NVD CPE · 109 total CPE entries

Exploit & PoC Resources

NO KNOWN EXPLOITNo public exploit confirmed at this time

Offensive Security exploit database

GitHub PoC Search

Community PoC repositories

Rapid7 / Metasploit

Metasploit module search

Security advisories & exploits

Official NIST entry

CVE Program entry

External links open in a new tab. Always verify in a controlled environment before use.

Official Patches & Advisories

PATCHhttp://www.securityfocus.com/bid/47778

PATCHhttp://www.securityfocus.com/bid/47778

ADVISORYhttp://secunia.com/advisories/44500

ADVISORYhttp://www.postfix.org/CVE-2011-1720.html

ADVISORYhttp://www.postfix.org/announcements/postfix-2.8.3.html

ADVISORYhttp://secunia.com/advisories/44500

ADVISORYhttp://www.postfix.org/CVE-2011-1720.html

ADVISORYhttp://www.postfix.org/announcements/postfix-2.8.3.html

All References (36)

→

http://kb.juniper.net/InfoCenter/index?page=content&id=JSA10705

→

http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2011-05/msg00002.html

→

http://secunia.com/advisories/44500Vendor Advisory

→

http://security.gentoo.org/glsa/glsa-201206-33.xml

→

http://securityreason.com/securityalert/8247

→

http://www.debian.org/security/2011/dsa-2233

→

http://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/727230US Government Resource

→

http://www.mail-archive.com/postfix-announce%40postfix.org/msg00007.html

→

http://www.mandriva.com/security/advisories?name=MDVSA-2011:090

→

http://www.osvdb.org/72259

→

http://www.postfix.org/CVE-2011-1720.htmlVendor Advisory

→

http://www.postfix.org/announcements/postfix-2.8.3.htmlVendor Advisory

→

http://www.securityfocus.com/archive/1/517917/100/0/threaded

→

http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/47778Patch

→

http://www.securitytracker.com/id?1025521

Quick Facts

CVE IDCVE-2011-1720

CVSS Score6.8 / 10

SeverityMEDIUM

WeaknessCWE-119

CISA KEVNo

Affected1 vendor(s)

PublishedMay 13, 2011

Related CVEs (CWE-119)

Recommended Actions

→Apply vendor patches immediately
→Monitor CVE-2011-1720 in threat intel feeds
→Review IDS/IPS signatures for exploitation attempts

Data sourced from NVD (NIST), CISA KEV, and EPSS (FIRST). Analysis generated by CTIWATCH.COM. CVE data is provided under the NVD usage policy.

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