CVE-2020-7845
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 · uneditedSpamsniper 5.0 ~ 5.2.7 contain a stack-based buffer overflow vulnerability caused by improper boundary checks when parsing MAIL FROM command. It leads remote attacker to execute arbitrary code via crafted packet.
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 confidenceSpamsniper versions 5.0 through 5.2.7 contain a stack-based buffer overflow vulnerability in the SMTP server component. The vulnerability results from missing boundary checks when parsing the MAIL FROM command, allowing an attacker to overwrite stack memory and achieve remote code execution by sending a specially crafted packet.
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>= 5.0.2, < 5.7.6CVSS 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
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/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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Confirm Spamsniper installationCheck for Spamsniper installation directory or list installed programs. Common paths may include C:\Program Files\Spamsniper or C:\Program Files (x86)\Spamsniper. Check Windows registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall for Spamsniper entry.Affected if Spamsniper is found on the system
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Retrieve installed versionLocate version information in the Spamsniper installation directory (such as an About dialog, version.txt, or executable properties). In Windows, right-click the Spamsniper executable and select Properties > Details to view File Version.Affected if Version is >= 5.0.2 and < 5.7.6
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Determine if SMTP server is enabledOpen Spamsniper configuration and check if the SMTP server component is enabled. This is typically found in the server settings or network configuration section of the Spamsniper management interface.Affected if SMTP server functionality is enabled and listening on a port
The environment is affected if Spamsniper version is between 5.0.2 and 5.7.6 (exclusive of 5.7.6) and the SMTP server component is enabled.
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.
dbcve · scoped5.7.6
Upgrade Spamsniper to version 5.2.8 or later, or implement input validation and bounds checking on the MAIL FROM command parser to prevent buffer overflows.
Spamsniper 5.7.6 or later
- 1. Identify the current installed version of Spamsniper
- 2. If version is less than 5.7.6, download Spamsniper version 5.7.6 or later from the vendor's official source
- 3. Back up current configuration and data
- 4. Install the upgraded Spamsniper version
- 5. Restore configuration if needed
- 6. Verify the application starts successfully
- 7. Test that the MAIL FROM command parsing functions correctly
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing5.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,752.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-7845 — 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-2020-7845 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