Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
Older mailcow-dockerized installations allowed an authenticated low-privilege user to abuse certain mail filtering or sync settings to run operating system commands. Successful exploitation could give full confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact on the affected mail server.
Executive priority
Treat this as high priority for any affected mail server. The issue can become server-level command execution from a low-privilege account, creating material email confidentiality and operational risk. Patch or remove the risky ACL quickly.
Technical view
CVE-2022-31138 is CWE-78 OS command injection in mailcow-dockerized before 2022-06a. Manipulation of documented custom parameters, including regexmess and pipemess-related settings, could execute arbitrary code. CVSS 3.1 is 8.8 with network access, low complexity, low privileges, and no user interaction.
Likely exposure
Exposure is limited to mailcow-dockerized instances running versions before 2022-06a, especially where mailbox users retain Syncjob ACL permissions that let them change the vulnerable settings.
Exploitation context
The CVE is not in KEV, and the bundle does not prove active exploitation. A public GitHub repository is referenced for this CVE, so defenders should treat exploit knowledge as public while avoiding assumptions about in-the-wild activity.
Researcher notes
The public record identifies affected versions, vulnerable setting names, CVSS, patch release, commit reference, and temporary ACL workaround. It does not provide source-bundle evidence of active exploitation, indicators of compromise, or a complete product exposure matrix.
Mitigation direction
- Update mailcow-dockerized using update.sh to version 2022-06a or newer.
- Temporarily remove Syncjob ACL from all mailbox users if immediate updating is not possible.
- Check mailcow vendor guidance before applying any unsupported configuration workaround.
- Prioritize internet-facing mail servers and shared mailbox environments first.
Validation and detection
- Inventory mailcow-dockerized instances and record their installed version.
- Confirm every instance is running 2022-06a or newer.
- Review whether mailbox users have Syncjob ACL permissions.
- Check for unexpected changes to the vulnerable custom parameter settings.
- Document any unpatched instance and its compensating control status.
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.
CWE-78: Command execution behavior lookup
Command injection weaknesses can lead defenders to review execution techniques and command interpreter telemetry. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupExecution behavior lookup
The CVE wording references code or command execution, so execution technique review may help defensive triage. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2022-31138 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
- High
- CVSS
- 8.8 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
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 vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H2.85.9Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
8.8HighVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://github.com/mailcow/mailcow-dockerized/security/advisories/GHSA-vx9w-h33p-5vhcCVE reference · x_refsource_CONFIRM
- https://github.com/mailcow/mailcow-dockerized/commit/d373164e13a14e058f82c9f1918a5612f375a9f9CVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
- https://github.com/ly1g3/Mailcow-CVE-2022-31138CVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
- https://github.com/mailcow/mailcow-dockerized/releases/tag/2022-06aCVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
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.
Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection')
Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection') represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.