CyberSecBulletin
CVE-2025-42599Exploited in the wildNVD status: Analyzed

Qualitia Active! Mail Stack-Based Buffer Overflow

Published Updated By the CyberSecBulletin desk

CVE-2025-42599 is a critical-severity stack-based buffer overflow vulnerability in Active! mail 6 from Qualitia, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 9.8 out of 10. It can be exploited remotely over the network by an unauthenticated attacker, without any action from a user. Affected Active! mail 6 versions: BuildInfo: 6.60.05008561 and earlier. The record does not name a fixed version, so check the vendor advisory. CISA added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalogue on April 28, 2025, which means attacks have been observed in the wild.

Patch now

Attackers are already exploiting this vulnerability, according to CISA.

What to do

  1. Update Active! Mail to 6.60.05008562 or a later version.
  2. CISA's required action: Apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.
  3. Read the advisory on qualitia.com for workarounds and exact fixed builds.
  4. Until you can update, restrict network access to the affected service so it is not reachable from untrusted networks.

Affected products and versions

VendorProductAffected versionsFixed in
QUALITIAActive! mail 6BuildInfo: 6.60.05008561 and earlierNot stated
QualitiaActive! Mailbefore 6.60.050085626.60.05008562

Version data comes from the organisation that assigned the CVE. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.

How the severity score breaks down

Attack vector
NetworkCan be exploited remotely over a network, including the internet.
Attack complexity
LowNo special conditions are needed; the attack works reliably.
Privileges required
NoneNo account or login is needed.
User interaction
NoneNo action by a victim is required.
Scope
UnchangedImpact stays within the vulnerable component.
Confidentiality
HighAll data handled by the component can be read.
Integrity
HighData or code can be modified at will.
Availability
HighThe component can be taken down completely.

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H. Scored by NVD.

Scoring systemScoreSeverityScored by
CVSS 3.19.8CriticalNVD
CVSS 3.09.8CriticalCNA (jpcert.or.jp)

Official description

Active! mail 6 BuildInfo: 6.60.05008561 and earlier contains a stack-based buffer overflow vulnerability. Receiving a specially crafted request created and sent by a remote unauthenticated attacker may lead to arbitrary code execution and/or a denial-of-service (DoS) condition.

Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.

The underlying weakness: Stack-based Buffer Overflow

The product writes past the end of a buffer that was allocated on the stack.

How developers prevent this class of flaw

  • Use automatic buffer overflow detection mechanisms that are offered by certain compilers or compiler extensions. Examples include: the Microsoft Visual Studio /GS flag, Fedora/Red Hat FORTIFY_SOURCE GCC flag, StackGuard, and ProPolice, which provide various mechanisms including canary-based detection and range/index checking. D3-SFCV (Stack Frame Canary Validation) from D3FEND discusses canary-based detection in detail.
  • Use an abstraction library to abstract away risky APIs. Not a complete solution.
  • Implement and perform bounds checking on input.

More Stack-based Buffer Overflow vulnerabilities (CWE-121)

Timeline

  1. CVE record published.
  2. Added to CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalogue.
  3. CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: active, automatable: yes, technical impact: total).
  4. Deadline for US federal agencies to remediate, set by CISA.
  5. Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).

References

Third-party and government advisories

Recent Stack-based Buffer Overflow vulnerabilities

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