NGINX ngx_mail_smtp_module Memory Over-read Leakage in SMTP Auth
CVE-2025-53859 Published on August 13, 2025
NGINX ngx_mail_smtp_module vulnerability
NGINX Open Source and NGINX Plus have a vulnerability in the ngx_mail_smtp_module that might allow an unauthenticated attacker to over-read NGINX SMTP authentication process memory; as a result, the server side may leak arbitrary bytes sent in a request to the authentication server. This issue happens during the NGINX SMTP authentication process and requires the attacker to make preparations against the target system to extract the leaked data. The issue affects NGINX only if (1) it is built with the ngx_mail_smtp_module, (2) the smtp_auth directive is configured with method "none," and (3) the authentication server returns the "Auth-Wait" response header.
Note: Software versions which have reached End of Technical Support (EoTS) are not evaluated.
Vulnerability Analysis
CVE-2025-53859 can be exploited with network access, and does not require authorization privileges or user interaction. This vulnerability is consided to have a high level of attack complexity. The potential impact of an exploit of this vulnerability is considered to have a small impact on confidentiality, a small impact on integrity and availability.
Weakness Type
Out-of-bounds Read
The software reads data past the end, or before the beginning, of the intended buffer. Typically, this can allow attackers to read sensitive information from other memory locations or cause a crash. A crash can occur 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. The expected sentinel might not be located in the out-of-bounds memory, causing excessive data to be read, leading to a segmentation fault or a buffer overflow. The software may modify an index or perform pointer arithmetic that references a memory location that is outside of the boundaries of the buffer. A subsequent read operation then produces undefined or unexpected results.
Products Associated with CVE-2025-53859
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Affected Versions
F5 NGINX Plus:- Version R35 is unaffected.
- Version R34 and below R34 P2 is affected.
- Version R33 and below R33 P3 is affected.
- Version R32 and below R32 P3 is affected.
- Version R31 and below * is affected.
- Version R30 and below * is affected.
- Version 0.7 and below 1.29.1 is affected.
Exploit Probability
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) scores estimate the probability that a vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. The percentile shows you how this score compares to all other vulnerabilities.