CVE-2026-70368
Description
A stack-based out-of-bounds read vulnerability exists in the "s_vlog" function of stunnel, when handling oversized log messages via "vsnprintf". A remote attacker with network access to a stunnel service can send protocol inputs that trigger a log message longer than 1024 bytes, leading to an out-of-bounds stack read and a potential crash. In certain corner cases, the same vulnerability could be used to replace a series of trailing "\n" characters with "\0".
Statement
This Moderate impact vulnerability affects stunnel services if their configuration allows long attacker-controlled log messages. Server-side IMAP protocol negotiation ("protocol = imap") is known to be affected, where a remote, unauthenticated attacker can trigger a denial-of-service by sending an oversized IMAP command. Reliable integrity impact or code execution as a result of this issue would be very difficult and likely impractical. This issue specifically affects "stunnel" 5.79 and lower when exposed to untrusted networks.
Mitigation
To mitigate this issue, avoid exposing stunnel services to untrusted clients. Restrict access to these services to trusted networks only.
Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) Score Details
Info alert:Important note
CVSS scores for open source components depend on vendor-specific factors (e.g. version or build chain). Therefore, Red Hat's score and impact rating can be different from NVD and other vendors. Red Hat remains the authoritative CVE Naming Authority (CNA) source for its products and services (see Red Hat classifications).
The following CVSS metrics and score provided are preliminary and subject to review.
CVSS v3 Score Breakdown
| Red Hat | NVD | cve.org | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Score | 6.5 | N/A | 6.5 |
| Attack Vector | Network | N/A | Network |
| Attack Complexity | Low | N/A | Low |
| Privileges Required | None | N/A | None |
| User Interaction | None | N/A | None |
| Scope | Unchanged | N/A | Unchanged |
| Confidentiality | None | N/A | None |
| Integrity Impact | Low | N/A | Low |
| Availability Impact | Low | N/A | Low |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:L
cve.org: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:L
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Confidentiality
Technical Impact: Read Memory
An attacker could get secret values such as cryptographic keys, PII, memory addresses, or other information that could be used in additional attacks.
Confidentiality
Technical Impact: Bypass Protection Mechanism
Out-of-bounds memory could contain memory addresses or other information that can be used to bypass ASLR and other protection mechanisms in order to improve the reliability of exploiting a separate weakness for code execution.
Availability
Technical Impact: DoS: Crash, Exit, or Restart
An attacker could cause a segmentation fault or crash by causing memory to be read outside of the bounds of the buffer. This is especially likely when the code reads a variable amount of data and assumes that a sentinel exists to stop the read operation, such as a NUL in a string.
Other
Technical Impact: Varies by Context
The read operation could produce other undefined or unexpected results.
Acknowledgements
This issue was discovered by Found by AISLE in partnership with Red Hat.
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