HOMEVULNERABILITIESCVE-2018-14357
CRITICAL

CVE-2018-14357

CWE-78Published: July 17, 2018· Updated: Jun 17, 2026

9.8
CVSS v3.1

Official Description

An issue was discovered in Mutt before 1.10.1 and NeoMutt before 2018-07-16. They allow remote IMAP servers to execute arbitrary commands via backquote characters, related to the mailboxes command associated with an automatic subscription.

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2018-14357 can be exploited remotely over the network without requiring physical or adjacent access, significantly expanding the attack surface for threat actors.

The vulnerability requires no privileges and no user interaction, making it a prime target for automated exploitation campaigns and worm-like propagation.

A successful exploit results in complete confidentiality breach (data exposure), full integrity compromise (data manipulation), availability disruption (denial of service), with a CVSS base score of 9.8.

CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown

Exploitability
Attack VectorNetwork
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges Req.None
User InteractionNone
ScopeUnchanged
Impact
ConfidentialityHigh
IntegrityHigh
AvailabilityHigh
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Affected Vendors & Products

Canonical1 product(s)
ubuntu linux
Debian1 product(s)
debian linux
mutt1 product(s)
mutt
neomutt1 product(s)
neomutt
Red Hat6 product(s)
enterprise linux desktopenterprise linux serverenterprise linux server ausenterprise linux server eusenterprise linux server tusenterprise linux workstation
Source: NVD CPE · 20 total CPE entries

Exploit & PoC Resources

NO KNOWN EXPLOITNo public exploit confirmed at this time
Exploit-DB
Offensive Security exploit database
GitHub PoC Search
Community PoC repositories
Rapid7 / Metasploit
Metasploit module search
PacketStorm
Security advisories & exploits
NVD Detail
Official NIST entry
MITRE CVE
CVE Program entry
External links open in a new tab. Always verify in a controlled environment before use.

Official Patches & Advisories

PATCHhttps://github.com/neomutt/neomutt/commit/e52393740334443ae0206cab2d7caef381646725
PATCHhttps://gitlab.com/muttmua/mutt/commit/185152818541f5cdc059cbff3f3e8b654fc27c1d
PATCHhttps://github.com/neomutt/neomutt/commit/e52393740334443ae0206cab2d7caef381646725
PATCHhttps://gitlab.com/muttmua/mutt/commit/185152818541f5cdc059cbff3f3e8b654fc27c1d
ADVISORYhttp://www.mutt.org/news.html
ADVISORYhttps://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:2526
ADVISORYhttps://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2018/08/msg00001.html
ADVISORYhttps://neomutt.org/2018/07/16/release
ADVISORYhttps://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201810-07
ADVISORYhttps://usn.ubuntu.com/3719-1/
ADVISORYhttps://usn.ubuntu.com/3719-3/
ADVISORYhttps://www.debian.org/security/2018/dsa-4277
ADVISORYhttp://www.mutt.org/news.html
ADVISORYhttps://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:2526
ADVISORYhttps://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2018/08/msg00001.html
ADVISORYhttps://neomutt.org/2018/07/16/release
ADVISORYhttps://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201810-07
ADVISORYhttps://usn.ubuntu.com/3719-1/
ADVISORYhttps://usn.ubuntu.com/3719-3/
ADVISORYhttps://www.debian.org/security/2018/dsa-4277

All References (20)

→
http://www.mutt.org/news.htmlRelease Notes · Vendor Advisory
→
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:2526Third Party Advisory
→
https://github.com/neomutt/neomutt/commit/e52393740334443ae0206cab2d7caef381646725Patch · Third Party Advisory
→
https://gitlab.com/muttmua/mutt/commit/185152818541f5cdc059cbff3f3e8b654fc27c1dPatch · Third Party Advisory
→
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2018/08/msg00001.htmlMailing List · Third Party Advisory
→
https://neomutt.org/2018/07/16/releaseRelease Notes · Vendor Advisory
→
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201810-07Third Party Advisory
→
https://usn.ubuntu.com/3719-1/Third Party Advisory
→
https://usn.ubuntu.com/3719-3/Third Party Advisory
→
https://www.debian.org/security/2018/dsa-4277Third Party Advisory
→
http://www.mutt.org/news.htmlRelease Notes · Vendor Advisory
→
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:2526Third Party Advisory
→
https://github.com/neomutt/neomutt/commit/e52393740334443ae0206cab2d7caef381646725Patch · Third Party Advisory
→
https://gitlab.com/muttmua/mutt/commit/185152818541f5cdc059cbff3f3e8b654fc27c1dPatch · Third Party Advisory
→
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2018/08/msg00001.htmlMailing List · Third Party Advisory

Quick Facts

CVE IDCVE-2018-14357
CVSS Score9.8 / 10
SeverityCRITICAL
WeaknessCWE-78
CISA KEVNo
Affected5 vendor(s)
PublishedJul 17, 2018

Related CVEs (CWE-78)

CVE-2019-4202
10.0
CVE-2015-7426
10.0
CVE-2018-25118
10.0
CVE-2015-7253
10.0
CVE-2015-5672
10.0
CVE-2024-24576
10.0

Recommended Actions

  • →Apply vendor patches immediately
  • →Monitor CVE-2018-14357 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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