# CVE-2007-2231: Path traversal in n/a

> Remote attackers can read arbitrary gzipped mailboxes via path traversal in Dovecot when the zlib plugin is enabled.

- **Severity:** Medium 4.3 (`AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:P/I:N/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 25 Apr 2007
- **Updated:** 7 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2007-2231, DSA-1359-1, GHSA-8qfr-2vxg-8g3g

## What is CVE-2007-2231?

CVE-2007-2231 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in Dovecot Dovecot, published on 25 Apr 2007. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Directory traversal vulnerability in index/mbox/mbox-storage.c in Dovecot before 1.0.rc29, when using the zlib plugin, allows remote attackers to read arbitrary gzipped (.gz) mailboxes (mbox files) via a .. (dot dot) sequence in the mailbox name.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2007-2231?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Dovecot Dovecot.

## How do I fix CVE-2007-2231?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

## Is CVE-2007-2231 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2007-2231 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Dovecot Dovecot

- [CVE-2026-24031](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-24031/): Auth bypass in OX Dovecot Pro (high 7.7)
- [CVE-2025-59032](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-59032/): Denial of service in OX Dovecot Pro (high 7.5)
- [CVE-2026-27858](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-27858/): Denial of service in OX Dovecot Pro (high 7.5)
- [CVE-2021-29157](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-29157/): Path traversal in n/a (high 7.5)
- [CVE-2020-10957](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-10957/): Null dereference in n/a (high 7.5)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2007-2231 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2007-2231 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in Dovecot Dovecot, published on 25 Apr 2007. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2007-2231 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Dovecot Dovecot. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2007-2231/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2007-2231/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2007-2231
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2007-2231
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2007-2231

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2007-2231/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.