6.3
MEDIUM CVSS 4.0
CVE-2025-53859
NGINX SMTP Module Information Leak
Description

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.

INFO

Published Date :

Aug. 13, 2025, 3:15 p.m.

Last Modified :

Aug. 13, 2025, 5:33 p.m.

Remotely Exploit :

Yes !
Affected Products

The following products are affected by CVE-2025-53859 vulnerability. Even if cvefeed.io is aware of the exact versions of the products that are affected, the information is not represented in the table below.

ID Vendor Product Action
1 F5 nginx_plus
2 F5 nginx_open_source
CVSS Scores
The Common Vulnerability Scoring System is a standardized framework for assessing the severity of vulnerabilities in software and systems. We collect and displays CVSS scores from various sources for each CVE.
Score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Score Impact Score Source
CVSS 3.1 LOW [email protected]
CVSS 4.0 MEDIUM [email protected]
Solution
A vulnerability in NGINX's ngx_mail_smtp_module allows for potential memory over-reads.
  • Update the affected NGINX packages.
  • If necessary, restart the NGINX service.
References to Advisories, Solutions, and Tools

Here, you will find a curated list of external links that provide in-depth information, practical solutions, and valuable tools related to CVE-2025-53859.

URL Resource
https://my.f5.com/manage/s/article/K000152786
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration

While CVE identifies specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2025-53859 is associated with the following CWEs:

Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)

Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC) stores attack patterns, which are descriptions of the common attributes and approaches employed by adversaries to exploit the CVE-2025-53859 weaknesses.

We scan GitHub repositories to detect new proof-of-concept exploits. Following list is a collection of public exploits and proof-of-concepts, which have been published on GitHub (sorted by the most recently updated).

Results are limited to the first 15 repositories due to potential performance issues.

The following list is the news that have been mention CVE-2025-53859 vulnerability anywhere in the article.

The following table lists the changes that have been made to the CVE-2025-53859 vulnerability over time.

Vulnerability history details can be useful for understanding the evolution of a vulnerability, and for identifying the most recent changes that may impact the vulnerability's severity, exploitability, or other characteristics.

  • New CVE Received by [email protected]

    Aug. 13, 2025

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added Description 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.
    Added CVSS V4.0 AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:L/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X
    Added CVSS V3.1 AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N
    Added CWE CWE-125
    Added Reference https://my.f5.com/manage/s/article/K000152786
EPSS is a daily estimate of the probability of exploitation activity being observed over the next 30 days. Following chart shows the EPSS score history of the vulnerability.
Vulnerability Scoring Details
Base CVSS Score: 6.3
Attack Vector
Attack Complexity
Attack Requirements
Privileges Required
User Interaction
VS Confidentiality
VS Integrity
VS Availability
SS Confidentiality
SS Integrity
SS Availability
Base CVSS Score: 3.7
Attack Vector
Attack Complexity
Privileges Required
User Interaction
Scope
Confidentiality Impact
Integrity Impact
Availability Impact