MediumFix available
mutt, neomutt — security advisory
Mutt before 2.0.2 and NeoMutt before 2020-11-20 did not ensure that $ssl_force_tls was processed if an IMAP server's initial server response was invalid. The connection was not properly closed, and the code could continue attempting to authenticate. This could result in authentication credentials being exposed on an unencrypted connection, or to a machine-in-the-middle.
- Products
- mutt, neomutt
- Affected versions
- Not specified
- Fixed versions
- 2.0.2-1, 20201120+dfsg.1-1
- CVEs
- CVE-2020-28896
- Confirmed fixed CVEs
- Not specified
- Updated in this feed
- 1 Nov 2026, 13:13 UTC · Revision 1
Source evidence
Mutt before 2.0.2 and NeoMutt before 2020-11-20 did not ensure that $ssl_force_tls was processed if an IMAP server's initial server response was invalid. The connection was not properly closed, and the code could continue attempting to authenticate. This could result in authentication credentials being exposed on an unencrypted connection, or to a machine-in-the-middle.
osv:DEBIAN-CVE-2020-28896
mutt
Fixed versions: 2.0.2-1
mutt
Fixed versions: 2.0.2-1
mutt
Fixed versions: 2.0.2-1
neomutt
Fixed versions: 20201120+dfsg.1-1
neomutt
Fixed versions: 20201120+dfsg.1-1
neomutt
Fixed versions: 20201120+dfsg.1-1
Complete source record
{
"id": "1ca65e48d2d96c371751a40aadc80ba65cf7b3f3d1c9c0ba478d7fcf888011f2",
"url": "https://osv.dev/vulnerability/DEBIAN-CVE-2020-28896",
"method": "structured",
"payload": {
"kind": "advisory",
"title": "DEBIAN-CVE-2020-28896",
"summary": "Mutt before 2.0.2 and NeoMutt before 2020-11-20 did not ensure that $ssl_force_tls was processed if an IMAP server's initial server response was invalid. The connection was not properly closed, and the code could continue attempting to authenticate. This could result in authentication credentials being exposed on an unencrypted connection, or to a machine-in-the-middle.",
"evidence": "osv:DEBIAN-CVE-2020-28896",
"products": [
{
"name": {
"value": "mutt",
"evidence": "/affected/0/package/name"
},
"prerequisites": [],
"fixed_versions": [
{
"value": "2.0.2-1",
"evidence": "/affected/0/ranges"
}
],
"affected_versions": []
},
{
"name": {
"value": "mutt",
"evidence": "/affected/1/package/name"
},
"prerequisites": [],
"fixed_versions": [
{
"value": "2.0.2-1",
"evidence": "/affected/1/ranges"
}
],
"affected_versions": []
},
{
"name": {
"value": "mutt",
"evidence": "/affected/2/package/name"
},
"prerequisites": [],
"fixed_versions": [
{
"value": "2.0.2-1",
"evidence": "/affected/2/ranges"
}
],
"affected_versions": []
},
{
"name": {
"value": "neomutt",
"evidence": "/affected/3/package/name"
},
"prerequisites": [],
"fixed_versions": [
{
"value": "20201120+dfsg.1-1",
"evidence": "/affected/3/ranges"
}
],
"affected_versions": []
},
{
"name": {
"value": "neomutt",
"evidence": "/affected/4/package/name"
},
"prerequisites": [],
"fixed_versions": [
{
"value": "20201120+dfsg.1-1",
"evidence": "/affected/4/ranges"
}
],
"affected_versions": []
},
{
"name": {
"value": "neomutt",
"evidence": "/affected/5/package/name"
},
"prerequisites": [],
"fixed_versions": [
{
"value": "20201120+dfsg.1-1",
"evidence": "/affected/5/ranges"
}
],
"affected_versions": []
}
],
"severity": "medium",
"structured": {
"id": "DEBIAN-CVE-2020-28896",
"aliases": [
"DEBIAN-CVE-2020-28896"
],
"metrics": [
{
"type": "CVSS_V3",
"score": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N"
}
],
"affected": [
{
"ranges": [
{
"type": "ECOSYSTEM",
"events": [
{
"introduced": "0"
},
{
"fixed": "2.0.2-1"
}
]
}
],
"package": {
"name": "mutt",
"purl": "pkg:deb/debian/mutt?arch=source&distro=bookworm",
"ecosystem": "Debian:12"
},
"database_specific": {
"source": "https://storage.googleapis.com/debian-osv/debian-cve-osv/DEBIAN-CVE-2020-28896.json"
},
"ecosystem_specific": {
"urgency": "not yet assigned"
}
},
{
"ranges": [
{
"type": "ECOSYSTEM",
"events": [
{
"introduced": "0"
},
{
"fixed": "2.0.2-1"
}
]
}
],
"package": {
"name": "mutt",
"purl": "pkg:deb/debian/mutt?arch=source&distro=trixie",
"ecosystem": "Debian:13"
},
"database_specific": {
"source": "https://storage.googleapis.com/debian-osv/debian-cve-osv/DEBIAN-CVE-2020-28896.json"
},
"ecosystem_specific": {
"urgency": "not yet assigned"
}
},
{
"ranges": [
{
"type": "ECOSYSTEM",
"events": [
{
"introduced": "0"
},
{
"fixed": "2.0.2-1"
}
]
}
],
"package": {
"name": "mutt",
"purl": "pkg:deb/debian/mutt?arch=source&distro=forky",
"ecosystem": "Debian:14"
},
"database_specific": {
"source": "https://storage.googleapis.com/debian-osv/debian-cve-osv/DEBIAN-CVE-2020-28896.json"
},
"ecosystem_specific": {
"urgency": "not yet assigned"
}
},
{
"ranges": [
{
"type": "ECOSYSTEM",
"events": [
{
"introduced": "0"
},
{
"fixed": "20201120+dfsg.1-1"
}
]
}
],
"package": {
"name": "neomutt",
"purl": "pkg:deb/debian/neomutt?arch=source&distro=bookworm",
"ecosystem": "Debian:12"
},
"database_specific": {
"source": "https://storage.googleapis.com/debian-osv/debian-cve-osv/DEBIAN-CVE-2020-28896.json"
},
"ecosystem_specific": {
"urgency": "not yet assigned"
}
},
{
"ranges": [
{
"type": "ECOSYSTEM",
"events": [
{
"introduced": "0"
},
{
"fixed": "20201120+dfsg.1-1"
}
]
}
],
"package": {
"name": "neomutt",
"purl": "pkg:deb/debian/neomutt?arch=source&distro=trixie",
"ecosystem": "Debian:13"
},
"database_specific": {
"source": "https://storage.googleapis.com/debian-osv/debian-cve-osv/DEBIAN-CVE-2020-28896.json"
},
"ecosystem_specific": {
"urgency": "not yet assigned"
}
},
{
"ranges": [
{
"type": "ECOSYSTEM",
"events": [
{
"introduced": "0"
},
{
"fixed": "20201120+dfsg.1-1"
}
]
}
],
"package": {
"name": "neomutt",
"purl": "pkg:deb/debian/neomutt?arch=source&distro=forky",
"ecosystem": "Debian:14"
},
"database_specific": {
"source": "https://storage.googleapis.com/debian-osv/debian-cve-osv/DEBIAN-CVE-2020-28896.json"
},
"ecosystem_specific": {
"urgency": "not yet assigned"
}
}
],
"modified": "2026-10-26T12:01:58.466126779Z",
"provider": "osv",
"upstream": [
"CVE-2020-28896"
],
"references": [
"https://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2020-28896"
]
},
"related_cves": [
{
"value": "CVE-2020-28896",
"evidence": "/upstream"
}
],
"security_relevant": true,
"severity_evidence": "/severity/0/score"
},
"source_id": "core-osv",
"document_id": 451937,
"published_at": "2020-11-23T19:15:11.413+00:00"
}