SpamassassinApplication · Apache
CVE-2020-1930
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 · uneditedA command execution issue was found in Apache SpamAssassin prior to 3.4.3. Carefully crafted nefarious rule configuration (.cf) files can be configured to run system commands similar to CVE-2018-11805. With this bug unpatched, exploits can be injected in a number of scenarios including the same privileges as spamd is run which may be elevated though doing so remotely is difficult. In addition to upgrading to SA 3.4.4, we again recommend that users should only use update channels or 3rd party .cf files from trusted places. If you cannot upgrade, do not use 3rd party rulesets, do not use sa-compile and do not run spamd as an account with elevated privileges.
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 confidenceApache SpamAssassin before 3.4.3 allows command execution via malicious .cf rule configuration files, similar to CVE-2018-11805. Attackers can inject system commands through crafted rule definitions that get evaluated during rule processing.
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
SpamassassinApplication
< 3.4.3CVSS 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
- High
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
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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Check SpamAssassin versionRun `spamassassin --version` or check your package manager (e.g., `rpm -q spamassassin`, `dpkg -l spamassassin`) to see the installed version numberAffected if The version shown is lower than 3.4.3
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Locate loaded .cf rule configuration filesCheck the SpamAssassin configuration directory (typically /etc/mail/spamassassin or /etc/spamassassin) and look for all .cf files. Run `spamassassin -D lint 2>&1 | grep -i 'loading.*cf'` to see which config files are being loaded at runtimeAffected if Any .cf files exist from untrusted or unknown third-party sources, especially if they were not packaged with your OS distribution
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Inspect .cf files for suspicious command injection patternsSearch .cf files in the configuration directory for dangerous patterns such as: backticks (`), system() calls, shell metacharacters in rule definitions, or commands prefixed with pipe symbols (|)Affected if Any .cf file contains definitions that execute system commands, backticks, or shell expansions in rule definitions
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Verify sa-compile statusCheck if sa-compile is enabled in the SpamAssassin configuration (look for `sa_compile` directive in local.cf or user_prefs) and whether compiled rules are being loadedAffected if sa-compile is enabled and loading compiled rule files, which can execute arbitrary code during the compilation or loading process
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Check spamd execution contextExamine how spamd is being run: check the process (ps aux | grep spamd) and startup scripts to see if it runs as root or with elevated privilegesAffected if spamd runs as root or with user IDs other than a dedicated low-privilege service account
You are affected if SpamAssassin version is below 3.4.3 AND untrusted third-party .cf files are loaded, or if suspicious command-injecting rules exist in any loaded configuration files.
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 data3.4.3
Upgrade to SpamAssassin 3.4.4 immediately, avoid untrusted third-party .cf rule files, disable sa-compile, and ensure spamd does not run with elevated privileges.
Fix this in Spamassassin
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation12.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $7,488.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-1930 — 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-2020-1930 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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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.
- 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