# CVE-2024-35179: Unprivileged Stalwart Mail Server user can read files as root

> Unprivileged admins can read arbitrary files as root when RUN_AS_USER is configured, enabling privilege escalation and data exposure.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** An administrator
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 15 May 2024
- **Updated:** 2 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-5pfx-j27j-4c6h

## What is CVE-2024-35179?

CVE-2024-35179 is a medium-severity vulnerability in stalwartlabs mail-server, published on 15 May 2024. An attacker needs administrator access to exploit it, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Stalwart Mail Server is an open-source mail server. Prior to version 0.8.0, when using `RUN_AS_USER`, the specified user (and therefore, web interface admins) can read arbitrary files as root. This issue affects admins who have set up to run stalwart with `RUN_AS_USER` who handed out admin credentials to the mail server but expect these to only grant access according to the `RUN_AS_USER` and are attacked where the attackers managed to achieve Arbitrary Code Execution using another vulnerability. Version 0.8.0 contains a patch for the issue.

Weakness: CWE-271 (Privilege Dropping / Lowering Errors)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2024-35179?


## How do I fix CVE-2024-35179?

No fix has been published for CVE-2024-35179 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2024-35179 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2024-35179 exists.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2024-35179 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2024-35179 is a medium-severity vulnerability in stalwartlabs mail-server, published on 15 May 2024. An attacker needs administrator access to exploit it, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2024-35179 exists.

Affected product: stalwartlabs mail-server. 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-2024-35179/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-35179/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-35179
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-35179
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2024-35179

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-35179/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.