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VulnerabilityPublished Updated

CVE-2026-43964: Postfix · Off-by-one Error

Affects PostfixSource GCVE Database

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Not known to be exploited · CVSS 3.7 Low · fixed in 3.10.9 : update Postfix when convenient.

Data as of 12 Nov 2026, 00:48 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score
3.7Low
How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

Contested

Scorers differ by 2 or more points
CVSS scores by source
CNA (mitre)CVSS 3.13.7
ADP (redhat-SADP)CVSS 3.17.5
Patch
Available – fixed in 3.10.9, 3.9.10, 3.8.16
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L

Exploitation evidence

  1. Disclosed: evidence found.

    CVE published 4 May 2026

  2. Detectable: no evidence on record.

    No public nuclei template indexed

  3. Weaponized: no evidence on record.

    No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB

  4. Exploited in the wild: no evidence on record.

    Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation

  5. Observed by OffSeq Mirage: no evidence on record.

    No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 11 Nov 2026.

What to do

Upgrade Postfix to 3.10.9, 3.9.10 or 3.8.16.

Affected software

ProductAffectedFixed in
Postfix PostfixAffected
  • =3.9
  • =3.10
  • <3.8.16
  • >=3.9 <3.9.10
  • >=3.10 <3.10.9
Fixed in
  • 3.8.16
  • 3.9.10
  • 3.10.9

AI-suggested

To mitigate this vulnerability, administrators should: 1) Remove the $rbl_text variable from rbl_reply_maps and default_rbl_reply settings to prevent malicious DNSBL TXT response triggers; 2) Ensure policy servers and milters return fully RFC-compliant enhanced status codes with descriptive text after the numeric code; 3) Audit and update access tables, header_checks, body_checks, and transport_maps to include descriptive text in rejection messages or status codes. These configuration adjustments prevent the vulnerability from being triggered. A fixed version of Postfix is available (3.8.16, 3.9.10, 3.10.9 and later).

Description

CVE-2026-43964 is an off-by-one error vulnerability in Postfix versions before 3.8.16, 3.9 before 3.9.10, and 3.10 before 3.10.9. It occurs when processing enhanced status codes that lack text after the third numeric digit, causing a buffer over-read of one byte and potentially crashing the process, resulting in denial of service. This flaw is only exposed under specific server configurations involving access tables, policy servers, milters, and DNSBL TXT responses. The vulnerability cannot be triggered by standard SMTP or LMTP server responses.

References

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