# CVE-2009-3721: Path traversal in ytnef

> Crafted emails can trigger directory traversal and buffer overflows in yTNEF and Evolution, allowing arbitrary code execution or crashes.

- **Severity:** High 7.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 26 May 2021
- **Updated:** 7 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-2qr8-v7fq-qr4p

## What is CVE-2009-3721?

CVE-2009-3721 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in ytnef, published on 26 May 2021. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

Multiple directory traversal and buffer overflow vulnerabilities were discovered in yTNEF, and in Evolution's TNEF parser that is derived from yTNEF. A crafted email could cause these applications to write data in arbitrary locations on the filesystem, crash, or potentially execute arbitrary code when decoding attachments.

Weakness: CWE-22 (Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2009-3721?

It affects 2 products.


Products: Gnome Evolution, Ytnef Project Ytnef.

## How do I fix CVE-2009-3721?

No fix has been published for CVE-2009-3721 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2009-3721 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2009-3721 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in ytnef

- [CVE-2018-12422](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-12422/): Memory corruption in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2008-1109](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2008-1109/): Memory corruption in n/a (critical 9.3)
- [CVE-2008-1108](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2008-1108/): Memory corruption in n/a (high 7.6)
- [CVE-2013-4166](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-4166/): Information disclosure in Evolution (high 7.5)
- [CVE-2005-2549](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2005-2549/): Memory corruption in n/a (high 7.5)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2009-3721 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2009-3721 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in ytnef, published on 26 May 2021. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2009-3721 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: ytnef. 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-2009-3721/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2009-3721/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2009-3721
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2009-3721
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2009-3721

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2009-3721/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.