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fetchmail — security advisory

Type: advisorySources: OSVAdvisory ID: DEBIAN-CVE-2021-36386

report_vbuild in report.c in Fetchmail before 6.4.20 sometimes omits initialization of the vsnprintf va_list argument, which might allow mail servers to cause a denial of service or possibly have unspecified other impact via long error messages. NOTE: it is unclear whether use of Fetchmail on any realistic platform results in an impact beyond an inconvenience to the client user.

Products
fetchmail
Affected versions
Not specified
Fixed versions
6.4.16-4
CVEs
CVE-2021-36386
Confirmed fixed CVEs
Not specified
Updated in this feed
1 Nov 2026, 00:24 UTC · Revision 1

Source evidence

DEBIAN-CVE-2021-36386

core-osv · Original source

Published 30 Jul 2021, 14:15 UTC

report_vbuild in report.c in Fetchmail before 6.4.20 sometimes omits initialization of the vsnprintf va_list argument, which might allow mail servers to cause a denial of service or possibly have unspecified other impact via long error messages. NOTE: it is unclear whether use of Fetchmail on any realistic platform results in an impact beyond an inconvenience to the client user.

osv:DEBIAN-CVE-2021-36386

fetchmail

Fixed versions: 6.4.16-4

fetchmail

Fixed versions: 6.4.16-4

fetchmail

Fixed versions: 6.4.16-4

Complete source record
{
  "id": "eb3f0f31c7d271d9f8fb8738882941103f306375ac5d7485556b00a78cc7510c",
  "url": "https://osv.dev/vulnerability/DEBIAN-CVE-2021-36386",
  "method": "structured",
  "payload": {
    "kind": "advisory",
    "title": "DEBIAN-CVE-2021-36386",
    "summary": "report_vbuild in report.c in Fetchmail before 6.4.20 sometimes omits initialization of the vsnprintf va_list argument, which might allow mail servers to cause a denial of service or possibly have unspecified other impact via long error messages. NOTE: it is unclear whether use of Fetchmail on any realistic platform results in an impact beyond an inconvenience to the client user.",
    "evidence": "osv:DEBIAN-CVE-2021-36386",
    "products": [
      {
        "name": {
          "value": "fetchmail",
          "evidence": "/affected/0/package/name"
        },
        "prerequisites": [],
        "fixed_versions": [
          {
            "value": "6.4.16-4",
            "evidence": "/affected/0/ranges"
          }
        ],
        "affected_versions": []
      },
      {
        "name": {
          "value": "fetchmail",
          "evidence": "/affected/1/package/name"
        },
        "prerequisites": [],
        "fixed_versions": [
          {
            "value": "6.4.16-4",
            "evidence": "/affected/1/ranges"
          }
        ],
        "affected_versions": []
      },
      {
        "name": {
          "value": "fetchmail",
          "evidence": "/affected/2/package/name"
        },
        "prerequisites": [],
        "fixed_versions": [
          {
            "value": "6.4.16-4",
            "evidence": "/affected/2/ranges"
          }
        ],
        "affected_versions": []
      }
    ],
    "severity": "high",
    "structured": {
      "id": "DEBIAN-CVE-2021-36386",
      "aliases": [
        "DEBIAN-CVE-2021-36386"
      ],
      "metrics": [
        {
          "type": "CVSS_V3",
          "score": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H"
        }
      ],
      "affected": [
        {
          "ranges": [
            {
              "type": "ECOSYSTEM",
              "events": [
                {
                  "introduced": "0"
                },
                {
                  "fixed": "6.4.16-4"
                }
              ]
            }
          ],
          "package": {
            "name": "fetchmail",
            "purl": "pkg:deb/debian/fetchmail?arch=source&distro=bookworm",
            "ecosystem": "Debian:12"
          },
          "database_specific": {
            "source": "https://storage.googleapis.com/debian-osv/debian-cve-osv/DEBIAN-CVE-2021-36386.json"
          },
          "ecosystem_specific": {
            "urgency": "unimportant"
          }
        },
        {
          "ranges": [
            {
              "type": "ECOSYSTEM",
              "events": [
                {
                  "introduced": "0"
                },
                {
                  "fixed": "6.4.16-4"
                }
              ]
            }
          ],
          "package": {
            "name": "fetchmail",
            "purl": "pkg:deb/debian/fetchmail?arch=source&distro=trixie",
            "ecosystem": "Debian:13"
          },
          "database_specific": {
            "source": "https://storage.googleapis.com/debian-osv/debian-cve-osv/DEBIAN-CVE-2021-36386.json"
          },
          "ecosystem_specific": {
            "urgency": "unimportant"
          }
        },
        {
          "ranges": [
            {
              "type": "ECOSYSTEM",
              "events": [
                {
                  "introduced": "0"
                },
                {
                  "fixed": "6.4.16-4"
                }
              ]
            }
          ],
          "package": {
            "name": "fetchmail",
            "purl": "pkg:deb/debian/fetchmail?arch=source&distro=forky",
            "ecosystem": "Debian:14"
          },
          "database_specific": {
            "source": "https://storage.googleapis.com/debian-osv/debian-cve-osv/DEBIAN-CVE-2021-36386.json"
          },
          "ecosystem_specific": {
            "urgency": "unimportant"
          }
        }
      ],
      "modified": "2026-10-23T18:03:16.162010890Z",
      "provider": "osv",
      "upstream": [
        "CVE-2021-36386"
      ],
      "references": [
        "https://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2021-36386"
      ]
    },
    "related_cves": [
      {
        "value": "CVE-2021-36386",
        "evidence": "/upstream"
      }
    ],
    "security_relevant": true,
    "severity_evidence": "/severity/0/score"
  },
  "source_id": "core-osv",
  "document_id": 420993,
  "published_at": "2021-07-30T14:15:18.14+00:00"
}