# CVE-2022-31138: OS Command Injection in mailcow

> Attackers can execute arbitrary code by manipulating specific sync job parameters in mailcow, requiring an upgrade to patch.

- **Severity:** High 8.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 11 Jul 2022
- **Updated:** 22 Apr 2025
- **Also known as:** GHSA-vx9w-h33p-5vhc

## What is CVE-2022-31138?

CVE-2022-31138 is a high-severity command injection vulnerability in mailcow-dockerized, published on 11 Jul 2022. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

mailcow is a mailserver suite. Prior to mailcow-dockerized version 2022-06a, an extended privilege vulnerability can be exploited by manipulating the custom parameters regexmess, skipmess, regexflag, delete2foldersonly, delete2foldersbutnot, regextrans2, pipemess, or maxlinelengthcmd to execute arbitrary code. Users should update their mailcow instances with the `update.sh` script in the mailcow root directory to 2022-06a or newer to receive a patch for this issue. As a temporary workaround, the Syncjob ACL can be removed from all mailbox users, preventing changes to those settings.

Weakness: CWE-78 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2022-31138?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Mailcow Mailcow\.

## How do I fix CVE-2022-31138?

No fix has been published for CVE-2022-31138 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2022-31138 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2022-31138 exists.

Public exploit code:

- Mailcow CVE-2022-31138 RCE (github_poc): https://github.com/ly1g3/Mailcow-CVE-2022-31138

## Other vulnerabilities in mailcow-dockerized

- [CVE-2025-53909](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-53909/): mailcow: dockerized vulnerable to SSTI in Quota and Quarantine Notification Template (critical 9.1)
- [CVE-2024-24760](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-24760/): Mailcow Docker Container Exposure to Local Network (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2023-34108](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-34108/): Manipulation of Internal Dovecot Variables in mailcow via crafted Passwords (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2022-31245](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-31245/): Command injection in n/a (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2017-8928](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-8928/): Cross-site request forgery in n/a (high 8.8)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2022-31138 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2022-31138 is a high-severity command injection vulnerability in mailcow-dockerized, published on 11 Jul 2022. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2022-31138 exists.

Affected product: mailcow-dockerized. 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-2022-31138/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-31138/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-31138
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-31138
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2022-31138

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-31138/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.