CVE-2022-30550Network attack vector

Master-user escalation via passdb setting reuse

Published Jul 17, 2022 · Updated Oct 15, 2024

Improper access control in Dovecot IMAP Server 2.2 and 2.3 before 2.3.20 allows remote authenticated users to become master users. The auth passdb cache deduplicates entries sharing a driver and arguments, so one entry reuses another entry's mechanism and username_filter. Exposure requires normal and master passdb entries to share the same PAM configuration or password file; successful abuse grants master-user access.

CVSS severity6.8
Medium
EPSS probability2.23%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
Coverage for this vulnerability

See if you're affected

Explore vulnerability checks for your environment with Hinoki.

Book a demo

Summary

What happened

Improper access control in Dovecot IMAP Server 2.2 and 2.3 before 2.3.20 allows remote authenticated users to become master users. The auth passdb cache deduplicates entries sharing a driver and arguments, so one entry reuses another entry's mechanism and username_filter. Exposure requires normal and master passdb entries to share the same PAM configuration or password file; successful abuse grants master-user access.

The record

CVE
CVE-2022-30550
Published
Jul 17, 2022
Updated
Oct 15, 2024
Vendor
Unknown vendor
Product
Unknown product
Classifications
CWE-284, T1078
Attack vector
network
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Jul 17, 2022CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Oct 15, 2024Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.

Is a vulnerable build present?

Affected buildAffected product and version details are unavailable.

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectornetwork
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

Affected products and versions are unavailable in this record.

Published CVSS scores

6.8DovecotCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 9, 2026Sep 15, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 15, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectornetwork
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-284Improper Access Control
T1078Valid Accounts

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

See the directory against your own environment.

Your stack

Check the software in your environment

Book a demo to see how Hinoki identifies affected software and validates exploitability in your environment.

Book a demo