# CVE-2024-35187: Stalwart Mail Server has privilege escalation by design

> Attackers with code execution as the mail user can escalate to root due to improper privilege management in Stalwart Mail Server.

- **Severity:** Critical 9.1 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** An administrator
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 16 May 2024
- **Updated:** 2 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-rwp5-f854-ppg6

## What is CVE-2024-35187?

CVE-2024-35187 is a critical vulnerability in stalwartlabs mail-server, published on 16 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, attackers who achieved Arbitrary Code Execution as the stalwart-mail user (including web interface admins) can gain complete root access to the system. Usually, system services are run as a separate user (not as root) to isolate an attacker with Arbitrary Code Execution to the current service. Therefore, other system services and the system itself remains protected in case of a successful attack. stalwart-mail runs as a separate user, but it can give itself full privileges again in a simple way, so this protection is practically ineffective. Server admins who handed out the admin credentials to the mail server, but didn't want to hand out complete root access to the system, as well as any attacked user when the attackers gained Arbitrary Code Execution using another vulnerability, may be vulnerable. Version 0.8.0 contains a patch for the issue.

Weakness: CWE-863 (Incorrect Authorization)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2024-35187?


## How do I fix CVE-2024-35187?

No fix has been published for CVE-2024-35187 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2024-35187 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2024-35187 exists.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2024-35187 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2024-35187 is a critical vulnerability in stalwartlabs mail-server, published on 16 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-2024-35187 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-2024-35187/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-35187/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-35187
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-35187
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2024-35187

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-35187/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.