How severe is CVE-2020-14954?

CVE-2020-14954 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.9, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over network with high attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity high, and availability none.

Is CVE-2020-14954 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (81st percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2020-14954?

CVE-2020-14954 primarily affects Mutt. In total, 14 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2020-14954?

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

When was CVE-2020-14954 published?

CVE-2020-14954 was published on 2020-06-21 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2020-14954

CVE-2020-14954 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Mutt with a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.9. 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-74.

Key facts

Severity: Medium (CVSS 3.x base score 5.9)
CVSS v2: 4.3
EPSS exploit prediction: 2% (81st percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-74
Affected product: Mutt
Published: 2020-06-21
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

Mutt before 1.14.4 and NeoMutt before 2020-06-19 have a STARTTLS buffering issue that affects IMAP, SMTP, and POP3. When a server sends a "begin TLS" response, the client reads additional data (e.g., from a man-in-the-middle attacker) and evaluates it in a TLS context, aka "response injection."

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2020-14954?: Mutt before 1.14.4 and NeoMutt before 2020-06-19 have a STARTTLS buffering issue that affects IMAP, SMTP, and POP3. When a server sends a "begin TLS" response, the client reads additional data (e.g., from a man-in-the-middle attacker) and evaluates it in a TLS context, aka "response injection."
How severe is CVE-2020-14954?: CVE-2020-14954 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.9, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over network with high attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity high, and availability none.
Is CVE-2020-14954 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (81st percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2020-14954?: CVE-2020-14954 primarily affects Mutt. In total, 14 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2020-14954?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2020-14954 published?: CVE-2020-14954 was published on 2020-06-21 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (14)

cpe:2.3:a:mutt:mutt:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:9.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:10.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:neomutt:neomutt:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:31:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:32:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:8.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:12.04:*:*:*:-:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:16.04:*:*:*:esm:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:18.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:19.10:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:20.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:opensuse:leap:15.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:opensuse:leap:15.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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