CVE-2023-49077
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 · uneditedMailcow: dockerized is an open source groupware/email suite based on docker. A Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability has been identified within the Quarantine UI of the system. This vulnerability poses a significant threat to administrators who utilize the Quarantine feature. An attacker can send a carefully crafted email containing malicious JavaScript code. This issue has been patched in version 2023-11.
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 confidenceA stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability exists in the Mailcow Quarantine UI. Attackers can inject malicious JavaScript code into email content viewed through the quarantine feature, which executes when administrators access the quarantine interface.
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< 2023-11CVSS 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
- Required
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- Low
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
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.
-
Check Mailcow versionRun: docker ps --format '{{.Names}}' | grep mailcow && docker exec -it mailcow mailcow-ui bash -c 'cat /etc/os-release' or check the Mailcow UI footer for version numberAffected if Version shown is earlier than 2023-11 (e.g., 2023-10, 2023-09, etc.)
-
Verify quarantine feature is enabledLog into Mailcow UI as administrator, navigate to Quarantine settings (usually under Quarantine > Settings) or check the mailcow.conf file for quarantine-related configuration flagsAffected if Quarantine is enabled and storing email content
-
Check quarantine database for suspicious contentConnect to the mailcow MySQL container (docker exec -it mailcow-mysql mysql -u mailcow -p mailcow) and query the quarantine table for unusual patterns: SELECT * FROM quarantine WHERE subject LIKE '%<script%' OR body LIKE '%<script%' OR FROM LIKE '%script%';Affected if Any records contain HTML script tags or encoded JavaScript in subject, body, or sender fields
-
Review administrator access logsCheck Mailcow logs for administrator logins to quarantine: docker logs mailcow-ui 2>&1 | grep -i quarantine or review reverse proxy/access logs for /webmail/src/../quarantine endpointsAffected if Unusual IP addresses or times accessing the quarantine interface are present
A user is affected if their Mailcow installation is version 2023-10 or earlier AND the quarantine feature is enabled, as the XSS only triggers when administrators view quarantined email content.
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 · scoped2023-11
Upgrade Mailcow to version 2023-11 or later. Prior to upgrade, review current quarantine settings and ensure backups are available.
Mailcow version 2023-11 or later
- Ensure you have a backup of your Mailcow data and configuration
- Access your Mailcow server via command line
- Navigate to your Mailcow directory (where docker-compose.yml is located)
- Run the Mailcow update script typically found in the repository (e.g., ./update.sh)
- Alternatively, pull the latest Mailcow docker images: docker-compose pull
- Restart Mailcow containers: docker-compose up -d
- Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the Mailcow UI version information
- Log in to the Quarantine UI to confirm the vulnerability is patched
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,224.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-49077 — 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-2023-49077 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
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
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