Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2017-14230 is a Cyrus IMAP flaw fixed in version 3.0.4. A remote user could trigger incorrect memory handling through the IMAP LIST command, potentially exposing sensitive memory contents or crashing the mail daemon.
Executive priority
Treat as a targeted maintenance priority for legacy Cyrus IMAP deployments. It is not KEV-backed in the provided bundle, but exposed mail infrastructure should not remain on vulnerable pre-3.0.4 versions.
Technical view
The issue is an off-by-one error in prefix calculation inside mboxlist_do_find in imap/mboxlist.c. The bug caused use of uninitialized memory when handling a LIST command, with possible information disclosure or denial of service impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely for organizations running Cyrus IMAP versions before 3.0.4, especially where IMAP is reachable by untrusted users. The source bundle does not provide CPEs, package names, or affected downstream distributions.
Exploitation context
The CVE describes remote attack potential through an IMAP LIST request. The provided sources do not show public exploitation, and the CVE is not listed as KEV in the bundle.
Researcher notes
Evidence is strongest for root cause, affected upstream version boundary, and fix availability. Severity scoring, CWE mapping, CPEs, exploit maturity, and downstream vendor package status are not provided in the source bundle.
Mitigation direction
- Upgrade Cyrus IMAP to version 3.0.4 or later.
- Review Cyrus IMAP 3.0.4 release notes and vendor packaging guidance.
- Restrict IMAP exposure to trusted networks where operationally possible.
- Monitor mail service crashes until vulnerable versions are retired.
Validation and detection
- Inventory Cyrus IMAP versions across mail servers.
- Confirm no production instance reports a version before 3.0.4.
- Review IMAP-facing hosts for internet exposure.
- Check mail daemon logs for unusual LIST activity and crashes.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CVE-2017-14230 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Unknown
- CVSS
- Not scored
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CVSS and timeline data
No CVSS vectors or timeline events were available in the normalized CVE source material.
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://github.com/cyrusimap/cyrus-imapd/commit/6bd33275368edfa71ae117de895488584678ac79CVE reference · x_refsource_CONFIRM
- https://lists.andrew.cmu.edu/pipermail/cyrus-announce/2017-September/000145.htmlCVE reference · x_refsource_CONFIRM
- https://www.cyrusimap.org/imap/download/release-notes/3.0/x/3.0.4.htmlCVE reference · x_refsource_CONFIRM
- https://github.com/cyrusimap/cyrus-imapd/issues/2132CVE reference · x_refsource_CONFIRM
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.