CVE-2002-1311: Courier sqwebmail before 0.40.0 does not quickly drop privileges after startup in certain cases, which could a

Routine

MEDIUM 4.6DOWNGRADE

CVE-2002-1311 is a medium-severity flaw (CVSS 4.6) affecting courier mta. Below: why it ranks where it does, which versions are affected, what to do, and the exact commands.

Courier sqwebmail before 0.40.0 does not quickly drop privileges after startup in certain cases, which could allow local users to read arbitrary files.

Why this priority

No elevated risk signals yet

No fix is published yet: follow the downgrade or mitigation steps.

Risk facts

CVSS score	4.6 (Medium)
EPSS exploit chance	0.3% (top 72%)
CISA exploited list	No
Published	2002-11-29
Last modified	2026-06-16

Publisher (CNA): MITRE · Vendor: double precision incorporated

Last updated 2026-06-16 · Sources: CVE Program, NVD, CISA KEV, EPSS and vendor advisories · How we score

Am I affected?

Timeline

2002-11-29 05:00 UTCPublished CVE record published
2026-06-16 21:59 UTCUpdated Record last modified

double precision incorporated courier mta DOWNGRADE

Affected: 0.37.3 · 0.40

Fixed in: no fixed release known

Safe to downgrade to: a release before 0.37.3

1. Check installed version

apt-cache policy courier-mta || rpm -q courier-mta || courier-mta --version

2. No fixed release: DOWNGRADE to a release before 0.37.3 (Debian / Ubuntu)

apt-cache madison courier-mta sudo apt install courier-mta=<VERSION_BEFORE_0.37.3> sudo apt-mark hold courier-mta

2. No fixed release: DOWNGRADE (RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora)

dnf --showduplicates list courier-mta sudo dnf downgrade courier-mta-<VERSION_BEFORE_0.37.3> sudo dnf versionlock add courier-mta

Downgrade risk

Downgrading can break dependent software and may reopen older bugs. Read the distro advisory first and test on a non-production host.

After downgrade

Restart the service, and keep the package held until a fixed release ships.

Verify at the official source NVD · CVE Program · Report a problem with this page
Scores and fixes here are computed automatically from those and other public sources. Confirm with the vendor advisory before changing production systems.

Quick answers

How do I fix CVE-2002-1311?

courier mta: downgrade or apply the listed mitigation. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.

Is CVE-2002-1311 being exploited?

CVE-2002-1311 is not on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list at the time of the last update. Check again, as this can change.

What does CVE-2002-1311 affect?

CVE-2002-1311 affects courier mta. Severity is medium (CVSS 4.6). Courier sqwebmail before 0.40.0 does not quickly drop privileges after startup in certain cases, which could allow local users to read arbitrary files.

How urgent is CVE-2002-1311?

Priority 23/100. No elevated risk signals yet.

Related CVEs

CVE-2006-2659 HIGH 7.8 UPGRADE libs/comverp.c in Courier MTA before 0.53.2 allows attackers to cause a denial of service (CPU consumption) vi
CVE-2004-0224 HIGH 7.5 DOWNGRADE DOWNGRADE Multiple buffer overflows in (1) iso2022jp.c or (2) shiftjis.c for Courier-IMAP before 3.0.0, Courier before 0
CVE-2003-0040 HIGH 7.5 DOWNGRADE DOWNGRADE SQL injection vulnerability in the PostgreSQL auth module for courier 0.40 and earlier allows remote attackers
CVE-2002-0914 MEDIUM 5.0 DOWNGRADE Double Precision Courier e-mail MTA allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (CPU consumption) via

References

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