CVE-2013-6171

CVE-2013-6171 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Dovecot with a CVSS 2.0 base score of 5.8. 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-287.

Key facts

Description

checkpassword-reply in Dovecot before 2.2.7 performs setuid operations to a user who is authenticating, which allows local users to bypass authentication and access virtual email accounts by attaching to the process and using a restricted file descriptor to modify account information in the response to the dovecot-auth server.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2013-6171?
checkpassword-reply in Dovecot before 2.2.7 performs setuid operations to a user who is authenticating, which allows local users to bypass authentication and access virtual email accounts by attaching to the process and using a restricted file descriptor to modify account information in the response to the dovecot-auth server.
How severe is CVE-2013-6171?
CVE-2013-6171 has a CVSS 2.0 base score of 5.8, rated medium severity.
Is CVE-2013-6171 being actively exploited?
It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (70th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2013-6171?
CVE-2013-6171 primarily affects Dovecot. In total, 51 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2013-6171?
Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2013-6171 published?
CVE-2013-6171 was published on 2013-12-09 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (51)

More vulnerabilities in Dovecot

All CVEs affecting Dovecot →

Other CWE-287 (Improper Authentication) vulnerabilities

Browse all CWE-287 (Improper Authentication) vulnerabilities →