Inefficient algorithmic complexity in the JSON reader of Progressive Robot hMailServer allows a remote unauthenticated attacker to make the mail services unavailable. Reading a JSON object kept the first of each duplicated member name by searching the members already read, so an object of N distinct member names cost O(N^2): 1 MB took 8.9 seconds and 4 MB took 300 seconds against the affected code. A remote attacker reaches the reader without an account by mailing a crafted TLS-RPT report (up to 16 MB after decompression) to a hosted domain's published report mailbox, which is read on a delivery thread; a few such reports hold every delivery thread (ten by default), so the server delivers no mail, local or outbound, for over an hour per report. A signed-in account reaches the same 16 MB body through the webmail's own REST routes, holding the REST API's own worker threads. Where no report mailbox is configured, the unauthenticated REST sign-in routes that read a JSON body are capped at 64 KB and are not affected.

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Advisories

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Fixes

Solution

Upgrade to hMailServer 6.3.6, which keeps the member names seen in a hash set, so a JSON object is read in one pass. Until then, where domain reports are on, move the report mailbox off a hosted domain; restart the service to end a busy thread.


Workaround

No workaround given by the vendor.

History

Thu, 08 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Description Inefficient algorithmic complexity in the JSON reader of Progressive Robot hMailServer allows a remote unauthenticated attacker to make the mail services unavailable. Reading a JSON object kept the first of each duplicated member name by searching the members already read, so an object of N distinct member names cost O(N^2): 1 MB took 8.9 seconds and 4 MB took 300 seconds against the affected code. A remote attacker reaches the reader without an account by mailing a crafted TLS-RPT report (up to 16 MB after decompression) to a hosted domain's published report mailbox, which is read on a delivery thread; a few such reports hold every delivery thread (ten by default), so the server delivers no mail, local or outbound, for over an hour per report. A signed-in account reaches the same 16 MB body through the webmail's own REST routes, holding the REST API's own worker threads. Where no report mailbox is configured, the unauthenticated REST sign-in routes that read a JSON body are capped at 64 KB and are not affected.
Title Inefficient Algorithmic Complexity in hMailServer
Weaknesses CWE-407
References
Metrics cvssV3_1

{'score': 7.5, 'vector': 'CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H'}


Projects

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cve-icon MITRE

Status: PUBLISHED

Assigner: GitLab

Published:

Updated: 2026-10-08T11:46:26.206Z

Reserved: 2026-10-08T10:51:35.642Z

Link: CVE-2026-107574

cve-icon Vulnrichment

No data.

cve-icon NVD

Status : Received

Published: 2026-10-08T12:17:15.177

Modified: 2026-10-08T12:17:15.177

Link: CVE-2026-107574

cve-icon Redhat

No data.

cve-icon OpenCVE Enrichment

No data.

Weaknesses