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SquirrelmailApplication

CVE-2009-0030

MEDIUM · 6.5 CVSS v2.0 Published 2009-01-21
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
71/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable 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
A certain Red Hat patch for SquirrelMail 1.4.8 sets the same SQMSESSID cookie value for all sessions, which allows remote authenticated users to access other users' folder lists and configuration data in opportunistic circumstances by using the standard webmail.php interface. NOTE: this vulnerability exists because of an incorrect fix for CVE-2008-3663.

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

A Red Hat patch for SquirrelMail 1.4.8 incorrectly implements session handling by assigning the same static SQMSESSID cookie value to all user sessions instead of generating unique session identifiers. This session fixation allows authenticated users to potentially access other users' folder lists and configuration data by leveraging the predictable session ID.

MitigationApply the corrected vendor patch or upgrade SquirrelMail to a version where session IDs are properly randomized per session, eliminating the session fixation vector.

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
SquirrelmailApplication
Affected:= 1.4.8

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
Single
Confidentiality
Partial
Integrity
Partial
Availability
Partial

AV:N/AC:L/Au:S/C:P/I:P/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 checks

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

  1. Identify SquirrelMail version
    Locate the SquirrelMail installation and check the version file (typically version.php or constants.php in the src/ directory). Common command: 'grep -r "1.4.8" /path/to/squirrelmail/' or check the main version file.
    Affected if The installed version is SquirrelMail 1.4.8 (specifically the Red Hat patched variant)
  2. Confirm Red Hat patch is present
    Examine the session handling code in functions/auth.php or session.php within the SquirrelMail installation. Look for Red Hat specific modifications or comments indicating a custom session patch.
    Affected if Red Hat's session patch for 1.4.8 is applied to the codebase
  3. Inspect session ID generation
    Review the code that generates or assigns the SQMSESSID cookie value. Check if session_id() is called with a static/hardcoded value rather than using a random or dynamically generated identifier.
    Affected if The session ID is assigned a fixed/static value (e.g., 'squirrelmail' or similar constant) instead of a unique random value per session
  4. Test session cookie predictability
    Clear browser cookies, access SquirrelMail, and note the SQMSESSID value. Access from a different browser or incognito window and compare the received cookie value. If identical, session fixation is present.
    Affected if Multiple distinct user sessions receive the same SQMSESSID cookie value (session fixation confirmed)
  5. Check session configuration file
    Examine config/config.php or any local configuration files for session-related settings. Look for variables like $session_name or $SQMSESSID that may be hardcoded to a static value.
    Affected if Session name or ID is configured with a static value rather than dynamic generation

Affected if running Red Hat's patched SquirrelMail 1.4.8 where the SQMSESSID cookie maintains a static value across all user sessions, enabling session hijacking via session fixation.

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

Apply the corrected vendor patch or upgrade SquirrelMail to a version where session IDs are properly randomized per session, eliminating the session fixation vector.

Fix this in Squirrelmail Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,130
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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-2009-0030 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
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data