CVE-2009-1581

CVE-2009-1581 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Squirrelmail with a CVSS 2.0 base score of 4.3. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-79.

Key facts

• Severity: Medium (CVSS 2.0 base score 4.3)
• EPSS exploit prediction: 2% (75th percentile)
• Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
• Weakness: CWE-79
• Affected product: Squirrelmail
• Published: 2009-05-14
• Last modified: 2026-06-16

Description

functions/mime.php in SquirrelMail before 1.4.18 does not protect the application's content from Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) positioning in HTML e-mail messages, which allows remote attackers to spoof the user interface, and conduct cross-site scripting (XSS) and phishing attacks, via a crafted message.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2009-1581?

functions/mime.php in SquirrelMail before 1.4.18 does not protect the application's content from Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) positioning in HTML e-mail messages, which allows remote attackers to spoof the user interface, and conduct cross-site scripting (XSS) and phishing attacks, via a crafted message.

How severe is CVE-2009-1581?

CVE-2009-1581 has a CVSS 2.0 base score of 4.3, rated medium severity.

Is CVE-2009-1581 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (75th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2009-1581?

CVE-2009-1581 primarily affects Squirrelmail. In total, 59 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2009-1581?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.

When was CVE-2009-1581 published?

CVE-2009-1581 was published on 2009-05-14 and last updated on 2026-06-16.

References

• http://lists.apple.com/archives/security-announce/2010//Jun/msg00001.html
• http://secunia.com/advisories/35052
• http://secunia.com/advisories/35073
• http://secunia.com/advisories/35140
• http://secunia.com/advisories/35259
• http://secunia.com/advisories/40220
• http://squirrelmail.svn.sourceforge.net/viewvc/squirrelmail/branches/SM-1_4-STABLE/squirrelmail/doc/ChangeLog
• http://squirrelmail.svn.sourceforge.net/viewvc/squirrelmail/branches/SM-1_4-STABLE/squirrelmail/functions/mime.php?r1=13667&r2=13666&pathrev=13667
• http://squirrelmail.svn.sourceforge.net/viewvc/squirrelmail?view=rev&revision=13667
• http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4188
• http://www.debian.org/security/2009/dsa-1802
• http://www.mandriva.com/security/advisories?name=MDVSA-2009:110
• http://www.redhat.com/support/errata/RHSA-2009-1066.html
• http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/34916
• http://www.squirrelmail.org/security/issue/2009-05-12
• http://www.vupen.com/english/advisories/2009/1296
• http://www.vupen.com/english/advisories/2010/1481
• https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=500356
• https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/50463
• https://oval.cisecurity.org/repository/search/definition/oval%3Aorg.mitre.oval%3Adef%3A10441
• https://www.redhat.com/archives/fedora-package-announce/2009-May/msg00566.html
• https://www.redhat.com/archives/fedora-package-announce/2009-May/msg00572.html
• https://www.redhat.com/archives/fedora-package-announce/2009-May/msg00577.html

Affected products (59)

• cpe:2.3:a:squirrelmail:squirrelmail:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:squirrelmail:squirrelmail:0.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:squirrelmail:squirrelmail:0.1.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:squirrelmail:squirrelmail:0.1.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:squirrelmail:squirrelmail:0.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:squirrelmail:squirrelmail:0.2.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:squirrelmail:squirrelmail:0.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:squirrelmail:squirrelmail:0.3.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:squirrelmail:squirrelmail:0.3pre1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:squirrelmail:squirrelmail:0.3pre2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:squirrelmail:squirrelmail:0.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:squirrelmail:squirrelmail:0.4pre1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:squirrelmail:squirrelmail:0.4pre2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:squirrelmail:squirrelmail:0.5:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:squirrelmail:squirrelmail:0.5pre1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:squirrelmail:squirrelmail:0.5pre2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:squirrelmail:squirrelmail:1.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:squirrelmail:squirrelmail:1.0.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:squirrelmail:squirrelmail:1.0.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:squirrelmail:squirrelmail:1.0.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:squirrelmail:squirrelmail:1.0.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:squirrelmail:squirrelmail:1.0.5:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:squirrelmail:squirrelmail:1.0.6:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:squirrelmail:squirrelmail:1.0pre1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:squirrelmail:squirrelmail:1.0pre2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:squirrelmail:squirrelmail:1.0pre3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:squirrelmail:squirrelmail:1.1.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:squirrelmail:squirrelmail:1.1.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:squirrelmail:squirrelmail:1.1.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:squirrelmail:squirrelmail:1.1.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:squirrelmail:squirrelmail:1.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:squirrelmail:squirrelmail:1.2.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:squirrelmail:squirrelmail:1.2.0_rc3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:squirrelmail:squirrelmail:1.2.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:squirrelmail:squirrelmail:1.2.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:squirrelmail:squirrelmail:1.2.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:squirrelmail:squirrelmail:1.2.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:squirrelmail:squirrelmail:1.2.5:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:squirrelmail:squirrelmail:1.2.6:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:squirrelmail:squirrelmail:1.2.7:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Squirrelmail

• CVE-2004-0521 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): SQL injection vulnerability in SquirrelMail before 1.4.3 RC1 allows remote attackers to execute unauthorized SQL…
• CVE-2002-0516 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): SquirrelMail 1.2.5 and earlier allows authenticated SquirrelMail users to execute arbitrary commands by modifying the…
• CVE-2020-14932 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): compose.php in SquirrelMail 1.4.22 calls unserialize for the $mailtodata value, which originates from an HTTP GET…
• CVE-2020-14933 — High (CVSS 8.8): compose.php in SquirrelMail 1.4.22 calls unserialize for the $attachments value, which originates from an HTTP POST…
• CVE-2018-8741 — High (CVSS 8.8): A directory traversal flaw in SquirrelMail 1.4.22 allows an authenticated attacker to exfiltrate (or potentially…
• CVE-2017-7692 — High (CVSS 8.8): SquirrelMail 1.4.22 (and other versions before 20170427_0200-SVN) allows post-authentication remote code execution via…

All CVEs affecting Squirrelmail →

Other CWE-79 (Cross-site Scripting (XSS)) vulnerabilities

• CVE-2025-49410 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') vulnerability in Imran Emu TC…
• CVE-2024-47875 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): DOMPurify is a DOM-only, super-fast, uber-tolerant XSS sanitizer for HTML, MathML and SVG. DOMpurify was vulnerable to…
• CVE-2024-6886 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation (XSS or 'Cross-site Scripting') vulnerability in Gitea…
• CVE-2023-45144 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): com.xwiki.identity-oauth:identity-oauth-ui is a package to aid in building identity and service providers based on…
• CVE-2023-45138 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Change Request is an pplication allowing users to request changes on a wiki without publishing the changes directly.…
• CVE-2022-4361 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Keycloak, an open-source identity and access management solution, has a cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the…

Browse all CWE-79 (Cross-site Scripting (XSS)) vulnerabilities →

Threat intelligence

Threat-intel indicators referencing this CVE:

• 171.100.156.38 (ipv4-addr)