CVE-2004-0524

SquirrelMail <4.0 - Privilege Escalation

Title source: llm
STIX 2.1

Exploitation Summary

EIP tracks 2 public exploits for CVE-2004-0524. PoCs published by Bytes, x314.

AI-analyzed exploit summary This exploit targets a local buffer overflow in Squirrelmail's chpasswd utility (CVE-2004-0524) to achieve privilege escalation via a bruteforce return address attack. It uses a setuid(0) shellcode to spawn a root shell.

Description

Buffer overflow in the chpasswd command in the Change_passwd plugin before 4.0, as used in SquirrelMail, allows local users to gain root privileges via a long user name.

Exploits (2)

exploitdb WORKING POC VERIFIED
by Bytes · clocallinux
https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/417

This exploit targets a local buffer overflow in Squirrelmail's chpasswd utility (CVE-2004-0524) to achieve privilege escalation via a bruteforce return address attack. It uses a setuid(0) shellcode to spawn a root shell.

Classification
Working Poc 95%
Attack Type
Lpe
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Racy
Target: Squirrelmail chpasswd (version not specified)
Auth required
Prerequisites: Local access to the system · User must be in a webserver group (e.g., www, webmaster) · chpasswd binary must be present and vulnerable
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 16, 2026 Full analysis →
exploitdb WORKING POC VERIFIED
by x314 · clocallinux
https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/273

This exploit leverages a buffer overflow in SquirrelMail's chpasswd utility to execute arbitrary shellcode, granting local root access. The shellcode spawns a shell, and the exploit constructs a malicious environment to trigger the overflow.

Classification
Working Poc 95%
Attack Type
Lpe
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: SquirrelMail chpasswd (version not specified, likely older versions)
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Local access to the system · Presence of vulnerable SquirrelMail chpasswd binary
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 16, 2026 Full analysis →

References (6)

Core 6
Core References
Third Party Advisory third-party-advisory x_refsource_secunia
http://secunia.com/advisories/11415
Mailing List mailing-list x_refsource_bugtraq
http://marc.info/?l=bugtraq&m=108311782032370&w=2
Exploit, Patch, Vendor Advisory vdb-entry x_refsource_bid
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/10166
Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry vdb-entry x_refsource_xf
https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/15889
Various Sources x_refsource_confirm
http://www.squirrelmail.org/plugin_view.php?id=117
Mailing List mailing-list x_refsource_bugtraq
http://marc.info/?l=bugtraq&m=108222863917958&w=2

Scores

EPSS 0.0461
EPSS Percentile 90.5%

Details

Status published
Published Aug 06, 2004
Tracked Since Feb 18, 2026