Secret-length disclosure via nonconstant-time comparison
Published Aug 28, 2026 · Updated Aug 28, 2026
Timing side channel in affected OX Dovecot CE and Pro releases allows remote attackers to learn doveadm password or API-key lengths. The doveadm credential comparison exposes input-length differences in response timing instead of fully masking comparison duration. Repeated accurately timed requests from the same network reveal only the configured secret's length, reducing the effort required to guess it.
Summary
What happened
Timing side channel in affected OX Dovecot CE and Pro releases allows remote attackers to learn doveadm password or API-key lengths. The doveadm credential comparison exposes input-length differences in response timing instead of fully masking comparison duration. Repeated accurately timed requests from the same network reveal only the configured secret's length, reducing the effort required to guess it.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-42393
- Published
- Aug 28, 2026
- Updated
- Aug 28, 2026
- Vendor
- Open-Xchange GmbH
- Product
- OX Dovecot CE
- Classifications
- CWE-200
- Attack vector
- adjacent
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Aug 28, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Aug 28, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=2.3.0 <2.4.5
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
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Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
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Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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