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MailscannerApplication

CVE-2008-5313

MEDIUM · 6.9 CVSS v2.0 Published 2008-12-03
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
74/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
mailscanner 4.68.8 and other versions before 4.74.16-1 might allow local users to overwrite arbitrary files via a symlink attack on certain temporary files used by the (1) f-prot-autoupdate, (2) clamav-autoupdate, (3) avast-autoupdate, and (4) f-prot-6-autoupdate scripts in /etc/MailScanner/autoupdate/; the (5) bitdefender-wrapper, (6) kaspersky-wrapper, (7) clamav-wrapper, and (8) rav-wrapper scripts in /etc/MailScanner/wrapper/; the (9) Quarantine.pm, (10) TNEF.pm, (11) MessageBatch.pm, (12) WorkArea.pm, and (13) SA.pm scripts in /usr/share/MailScanner/MailScanner/; (14) /usr/sbin/MailScanner; and (15) scripts that load the /etc/MailScanner/mailscanner.conf.with.mcp configuration file.

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 confidence

MailScanner before 4.74.16-1 contains multiple scripts that create temporary files in predictable locations without proper symlink protection, allowing local users to perform symlink attacks and overwrite arbitrary files. Affected components include autoupdate scripts, wrapper scripts for antivirus engines, and several Perl modules.

MitigationUpgrade MailScanner to version 4.74.16-1 or later to obtain the patched version, or apply manual fixes to use secure temporary file creation (e.g., O_EXCL flag, File::Temp module) in the affected scripts.

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
MailscannerApplication
Affected:= 4.68.8= 4.68.8-1= 4.69.9-3= 4.70.7-1= 4.71.10-1= 4.72.5-1= 4.73.4-2

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
Local
Complexity
M
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:L/AC:M/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. Check installed MailScanner version
    Run 'rpm -q MailScanner' or look for version information in /usr/lib/MailScanner/MailScanner.pm, or use 'MailScanner -V'
    Affected if The version is one of: 4.68.8, 4.68.8-1, 4.69.9-3, 4.70.7-1, 4.71.10-1, 4.72.5-1, 4.73.4-2, or any version earlier than 4.74.16-1
  2. Locate autoupdate scripts
    Search for autoupdate-related files in the MailScanner installation directory, typically under /usr/lib/MailScanner/ or /opt/MailScanner/
    Affected if The scripts exist and contain open() or sysopen() calls creating temp files without O_EXCL flag or File::Temp module
  3. Identify antivirus wrapper scripts
    Look for wrapper scripts in /usr/lib/MailScanner/MailScanner/ or similar paths, particularly those invoking external antivirus engines
    Affected if The wrapper scripts create temporary files in predictable locations like /tmp or /var/tmp without proper symlink protection
  4. Check Perl modules for temp file usage
    Examine Perl modules in the MailScanner lib directory for patterns like 'unlink $tmpfile' or 'open(.*>$tmp' without O_EXCL
    Affected if The modules use insecure temporary file creation methods in /tmp or /var/tmp with predictable filenames

If the installed MailScanner version is 4.74.16-1 or later, the environment is not affected by this CVE; otherwise, the presence of the vulnerable temp file creation patterns in the scripts indicates exposure.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade MailScanner to version 4.74.16-1 or later to obtain the patched version, or apply manual fixes to use secure temporary file creation (e.g., O_EXCL flag, File::Temp module) in the affected scripts.

Fix this in Mailscanner Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
20.0 hours of engineering $3,500
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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-2008-5313 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • 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
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