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Messaging ServerApplication · Netscape

CVE-1999-0005

HIGH · 10.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 1998-07-20
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
Arbitrary command execution via IMAP buffer overflow in authenticate command.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · moderate confidence

Buffer overflow vulnerability in the IMAP protocol's authenticate command allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands on the mail server by overflowing a buffer with excessive input during the authentication process.

MitigationUpdate or patch the affected IMAP server software to a version that addresses the buffer overflow vulnerability, or implement network segmentation to restrict IMAP access to trusted networks.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Messaging ServerApplication
Affected:= 3.55
ImapApplication
Affected:= 10.234

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify installed IMAP server software
    List running processes or installed services related to IMAP (imap, imapd, pop, pop3) using process manager or service enumeration tools. Check for service binaries and their associated version information.
    Affected if The server is running Netscape Messaging Server or University of Washington IMAP software.
  2. Check Netscape Messaging Server version
    Query the Netscape Messaging Server version through its service information, configuration files, or by connecting to the IMAP port (143) and issuing version commands if available. Compare the installed version against 3.55.
    Affected if The installed version is exactly 3.55.
  3. Check University of Washington IMAP version
    Query the UW IMAP daemon version through its binary information, service configuration, or by connecting to the IMAP port (143) and checking banner/version response. Compare against version 10.234.
    Affected if The installed version is exactly 10.234.
  4. Verify IMAP service is accessible
    Confirm the IMAP service is listening on ports 143 (IMAP) or 993 (IMAPS). Use network scanning or port enumeration to check if the service is exposed and accepting connections.
    Affected if The IMAP service is running and accessible on the network.

The server is affected if it runs Netscape Messaging Server version 3.55 or University of Washington IMAP version 10.234 with the IMAP service enabled and accessible.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Update or patch the affected IMAP server software to a version that addresses the buffer overflow vulnerability, or implement network segmentation to restrict IMAP access to trusted networks.

Recommended fix High confidence
  1. This CVE (1999-0005) references extremely old Sun Microsystems products (Messaging Server 3.55, Imap 10.234) from approximately 1999.
  2. These legacy products are no longer supported and have been end-of-lifed for many years.
  3. There is no viable upgrade path available - Sun Messaging Server and the referenced IMAP daemon have been superseded by modern mail solutions.
  4. Modern deployments should replace these legacy systems with current, supported mail/messaging infrastructure (e.g., modern Dovecot, Courier, or commercial alternatives).
  5. If the system must remain operational, isolate it completely on a restricted network segment with no external access.
  6. Alternatively, decommission the affected systems entirely as they cannot be safely remediated.
Caveat No upgrade path exists; these are 1999-era Sun products now obsolete. Complete system replacement is required.

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Messaging Server Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,600
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-1999-0005 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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