CVE-1999-1557
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 · uneditedBuffer overflow in the login functions in IMAP server (imapd) in Ipswitch IMail 5.0 and earlier allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service and possibly execute arbitrary code via (1) a long user name or (2) a long password.
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 · high confidenceBuffer overflow vulnerability in Ipswitch IMail 5.0 and earlier IMAP server (imapd) login functions. Remote attackers can send overly long username or password strings to overflow a buffer, potentially enabling denial of service or arbitrary code execution.
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<= 5.0CVSS 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
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- Partial
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:P
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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Verify Ipswitch IMail installationCheck for IMail installation directories (typically C:\IMail or C:\Program Files\Ipswitch\IMail) or look for imapd.exe process running on the systemAffected if Ipswitch IMail software is installed on the server
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Determine IMail versionLocate version information in IMail (often in About dialog, version.txt, or registry keys under HKLM\Software\Ipswitch\IMail). Compare the installed version against the affected range of 5.0 and earlierAffected if Installed version is IMail 5.0 or any earlier version
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Confirm IMAP service is enabledCheck if the IMAP daemon (imapd) service is running. Look for imapd.exe in task list or check IMail service configurationAffected if IMAP service is active and listening on network ports
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Check IMAP port accessibilityVerify if IMAP port 143 is open and accessible from network. Use netstat or port scanning tools to confirm the service is listening externallyAffected if IMAP port 143 is exposed to network and accepts connections
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Review logs for exploitation indicatorsExamine IMAP server logs (typically in IMail\logs directory) for abnormal login attempts with unusually long username or password strings that could indicate overflow attemptsAffected if Logs show malformed login requests or service instability
A system is affected if it runs Ipswitch IMail version 5.0 or earlier with the IMAP service enabled and accessible, as the buffer overflow occurs in the imapd login function when processing oversized username or password strings.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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.
From vendor dataApply vendor patch or upgrade to a patched version of Ipswitch IMail. If immediate patching is not feasible, restrict network access to IMAP port 143 using firewall rules or IP allow-listing to limit exposure to untrusted sources.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-1999-1557 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-1999-1557 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data