CVE-2026-41873 Pony Mail: Admin account takeover via request smuggling
HTTP request smuggling in the retired Lua implementation of Apache Pony Mail allows attackers to take over admin accounts.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Not needed
- Attackable
- Over the internet
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- None listed
What is CVE-2026-41873?
CVE-2026-41873 is a critical vulnerability in Apache Software Foundation Pony Mail, published on 28 Apr 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Official description
** UNSUPPORTED WHEN ASSIGNED ** Inconsistent Interpretation of HTTP Requests ('HTTP Request/Response Smuggling') vulnerability in Pony Mail leading to admin account takeover.
This issue affects all versions of the Lua implementation of Pony Mail. There is a Python implementation under development under the name "Pony Mail Foal" that is not affected by this issue, but hasn't been released yet.
As the Lua implementation of this project is retired, we do not plan to release a version that fixes this issue. Users are recommended to find an alternative or restrict access to the instance to trusted users.
NOTE: This vulnerability only affects products that are no longer supported by the maintainer.
Weakness: CWE-444
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-41873?
It affects 1 product.
Products include Apache Pony Mail.
How do I fix CVE-2026-41873?
No fix has been published for CVE-2026-41873 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.
Is CVE-2026-41873 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-41873 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Other vulnerabilities in Apache Software Foundation Pony Mail
Sources
Also known as GHSA-cvw6-x8c3-583g.