milter: the level-2 limit and the client IP list hold for every message

Security fix, outside the inbound antispam feature. Found by its
technical review (Opus, 2026-10-12), reproduced on the test stand
before the fix: over an application's level-2 limit, two MAIL FROM on
one connection were answered 451 and then accepted.

Cause. Postfix introduces a client to a milter once per connection.
The milter library (go-milter 0.4.1, session.go) replaces the milter's
session after any reply that is not "continue" - a refusal, or the
accept that used to end a message. The new session never saw Connect,
so it had no client address, and both checks passed a message without
one: overLimit returned early ("no client IP to key on") and
authIPAllowed did the same. So every message after the first on a
connection, and every MAIL FROM after a refused one, skipped the
level-2 limit and an application's client IP list. In the code since
1.9.0 for the list and longer for the limit.

Fix.
  - build/postfix-config.sh: milter_mail_macros carries {client_addr},
    so the address comes with every MAIL FROM; MailFrom reads it (both
    spellings of IPv6) in the journal milter and the inbound journal
    milter.
  - overLimit no longer asks for a client address: a ceiling is on a
    domain or an application.
  - authIPAllowed refuses an application that has a client IP list when
    no address is known.
  - Body replies "continue" in both milters, which lets the message
    through as "accept" did and keeps the session.

The inbound journal milter had the same cause with a smaller effect:
rows of a connection's later messages had no client address.

In the same file, the checks of INBOUND_ANTISPAM_MILTER and
INBOUND_JOURNAL_MILTER_SOCKET refuse any character outside their set
first: a glob's "*" matched anything after the first characters.

Tests: a session that never saw Connect is judged by the macro, a
listed and an unlisted address, no address, not an address; the limit
with no client address; the inbound milter answers only "continue".
test/e2e sends two MAIL FROM on one connection over the limit and
wants both refused.

Checked on the test server: e2e red before the fix on exactly that
check, green after; go vet ./... ok, go test ./... ok (22 packages).

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

build/postfix-config.sh

@@ -230,6 +230,14 @@ postconf -e \
 	"smtpd_milters={ unix:${OPENDKIM_SOCK}, default_action=tempfail }, { unix:${JOURNAL_SOCK}, default_action=accept }" \
 	"non_smtpd_milters="
 
+# What Postfix tells a milter with MAIL FROM: its defaults plus the client's
+# address. The panel's milters judge every message by that address (an
+# application's client-address list) and record it (the inbound journal), and
+# the address given once at connect is not there for a connection's later
+# messages - see MailFrom in internal/milter/milter.go.
+postconf -e \
+	"milter_mail_macros=i {auth_type} {auth_authen} {auth_author} {mail_addr} {mail_host} {mail_mailer} {client_addr}"
+
 # Bounded milter timeouts: a *hung* milter (socket accepts but never replies)
 # must fail open just like a crash, not stall mail acceptance until the Postfix
 # defaults (300s content) elapse. With default_action per milter, a
@@ -364,7 +372,14 @@ if [ "${INBOUND_RELAY_ENABLE}" = "true" ] || [ "${DMARC_REPORTS_ENABLE}" = "true
 	# panel's inbound journal milter, or nothing at all.
 	INBOUND_MILTERS=""
 	if [ "${INBOUND_RELAY_ENABLE}" = "true" ] && [ -n "${INBOUND_ANTISPAM_MILTER}" ]; then
+		# A glob's "*" matches anything, so the shape alone would pass
+		# "inet:a:1},{unix:/elsewhere": characters outside the set are refused
+		# first, then the shape is checked.
 		case "${INBOUND_ANTISPAM_MILTER}" in
+			*[!A-Za-z0-9._:/-]*)
+				echo "FATAL: INBOUND_ANTISPAM_MILTER must be inet:host:port or unix:/path, got: ${INBOUND_ANTISPAM_MILTER}" >&2
+				exit 1
+				;;
 			inet:[A-Za-z0-9._-]*:[0-9]* | unix:/[A-Za-z0-9._/-]* ) ;;
 			*)
 				echo "FATAL: INBOUND_ANTISPAM_MILTER must be inet:host:port or unix:/path, got: ${INBOUND_ANTISPAM_MILTER}" >&2
@@ -388,6 +403,10 @@ if [ "${INBOUND_RELAY_ENABLE}" = "true" ] || [ "${DMARC_REPORTS_ENABLE}" = "true
 		# it is down. A comma, not a space, between the two - see
 		# master_cf_set_smtp_inet_o.
 		case "${INBOUND_JOURNAL_SOCK}" in
+			*[!A-Za-z0-9._/-]*)
+				echo "FATAL: INBOUND_JOURNAL_MILTER_SOCKET must be an absolute path, got: ${INBOUND_JOURNAL_SOCK}" >&2
+				exit 1
+				;;
 			/[A-Za-z0-9._/-]*) ;;
 			*)
 				echo "FATAL: INBOUND_JOURNAL_MILTER_SOCKET must be an absolute path, got: ${INBOUND_JOURNAL_SOCK}" >&2

internal/milter/authip.go

@@ -8,11 +8,12 @@ import (
 )
 
 // authIPAllowed reports whether the authenticated application may submit from
-// the connecting client IP. When the application has no IP restriction, or the
+// the connecting client IP. When the application has no IP restriction the
-// client IP is not known, the check passes. Store errors are fail-open (see
+// check passes. When it has one and the client's address is not known, the
-// overLimit).
+// check fails: an address list that an unknown address satisfies is no list.
+// Store errors are fail-open (see overLimit).
 func (s *session) authIPAllowed() bool {
-	if s.login == "" || s.clientIP == "" {
+	if s.login == "" {
 		return true
 	}
 	a, err := s.rec.ApplicationByLogin(s.login)
@@ -26,6 +27,10 @@ func (s *session) authIPAllowed() bool {
 	if a.AllowsAuthFromIP(s.clientIP) {
 		return true
 	}
+	if s.clientIP == "" {
+		log.Printf("journal-milter: application %q refused — its client IPs are restricted and Postfix gave no client address", s.login)
+		return false
+	}
 	log.Printf("journal-milter: application %q refused from %s — client IP not allowed", s.login, s.clientIP)
 	return false
 }

internal/milter/inbound.go

@@ -27,8 +27,8 @@ type InboundStore interface {
 // of a message that reached end-of-message - that is, one the filter did not
 // refuse; refusals never get this far and are read from mail.log instead.
 //
-// Like the send-log milter it only watches: every callback continues or
+// Like the send-log milter it only watches: every callback continues, and
-// accepts, and Postfix attaches the socket with default_action=accept, so
+// Postfix attaches the socket with default_action=accept, so
 // neither an error here nor the panel being down holds up inbound mail.
 type inboundSession struct {
 	milter.NoOpMilter
@@ -38,7 +38,10 @@ type inboundSession struct {
 	// by the sender, and are not read.
 	filter bool
 
-	clientIP string // once per connection
+	// clientIP is taken at Connect and again from {client_addr} with every
+	// MAIL FROM: a session the library made after a non-continue reply never
+	// sees Connect (see session.MailFrom in milter.go).
+	clientIP string
 
 	from    string
 	rcpts   []string
@@ -58,6 +61,9 @@ func (s *inboundSession) Connect(host, family string, port uint16, addr net.IP,
 // MailFrom starts a message: a connection may carry several.
 func (s *inboundSession) MailFrom(from string, m *milter.Modifier) (milter.Response, error) {
 	s.reset()
+	if ip := clientAddr(m); ip != "" {
+		s.clientIP = ip
+	}
 	s.from = cleanAddress(from)
 	return milter.RespContinue, nil
 }
@@ -90,11 +96,12 @@ func (s *inboundSession) Header(name, value string, m *milter.Modifier) (milter.
 }
 
 // Body fires at end-of-message: the message is about to be queued for its
-// upstream.
+// upstream. "Continue" lets it through as "accept" would, and keeps this
+// session for the connection's next message.
 func (s *inboundSession) Body(m *milter.Modifier) (milter.Response, error) {
 	s.record()
 	s.reset()
-	return milter.RespAccept, nil
+	return milter.RespContinue, nil
 }
 
 func (s *inboundSession) Abort(m *milter.Modifier) error {

internal/milter/inbound_test.go

@@ -77,8 +77,8 @@ func TestInboundRecordsAcceptedMessage(t *testing.T) {
 	resp := message(t, s, "<sender@example.net> SIZE=1200",
 		[]string{"<a@in.example.com>", "b@IN.example.com"},
 		[][2]string{{"Subject", "=?utf-8?Q?Sch=C3=B6n?="}})
-	if resp != milter.RespAccept {
+	if resp != milter.RespContinue {
-		t.Errorf("end-of-message response = %v, want accept", resp)
+		t.Errorf("end-of-message response = %v, want continue", resp)
 	}
 	if len(rec.rows) != 2 {
 		t.Fatalf("rows = %+v, want one per recipient", rec.rows)
@@ -217,8 +217,8 @@ func TestInboundAcceptsWhenTheStoreFails(t *testing.T) {
 		"lookup": {lookupErr: errors.New("boom")},
 	} {
 		s := inboundSessionFor(t, rec, false)
-		if resp := message(t, s, "sender@example.net", []string{"a@in.example.com"}, nil); resp != milter.RespAccept {
+		if resp := message(t, s, "sender@example.net", []string{"a@in.example.com"}, nil); resp != milter.RespContinue {
-			t.Errorf("%s failure: response = %v, want accept", name, resp)
+			t.Errorf("%s failure: response = %v, want continue", name, resp)
 		}
 	}
 }
@@ -234,3 +234,46 @@ func TestRspamdVerdictKeepsTheListSymbols(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Errorf("detail = %q\nwant     %q", detail, want)
 	}
 }
+
+// The client address of a connection's later messages comes from the MAIL
+// macro: a session the library made after a non-continue reply saw no Connect.
+func TestInboundClientAddressFromTheMailMacro(t *testing.T) {
+	rec := &fakeInbound{domains: map[string]bool{"in.example.com": true}}
+	s := &inboundSession{rec: rec} // no Connect
+	if _, err := s.MailFrom("sender@example.net", mods(map[string]string{"{client_addr}": "IPv6:2001:db8::7"})); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if _, err := s.RcptTo("a@in.example.com", mods(nil)); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if _, err := s.Body(mods(nil)); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if len(rec.rows) != 1 || rec.rows[0].ClientIP != "2001:db8::7" {
+		t.Errorf("rows = %+v", rec.rows)
+	}
+}
+
+// No callback of the inbound milter answers anything but "continue": it must
+// never be the reason a message is held up, and a non-continue reply would
+// cost it its session.
+func TestInboundOnlyEverContinues(t *testing.T) {
+	rec := &fakeInbound{domains: map[string]bool{"in.example.com": true}}
+	s := &inboundSession{rec: rec, filter: true}
+	check := func(stage string, resp milter.Response, err error) {
+		t.Helper()
+		if err != nil || resp != milter.RespContinue {
+			t.Errorf("%s: %v, %v", stage, resp, err)
+		}
+	}
+	resp, err := s.Connect("mx", "tcp4", 0, net.ParseIP("203.0.113.7"), mods(nil))
+	check("connect", resp, err)
+	resp, err = s.MailFrom("a@example.net", mods(nil))
+	check("mail", resp, err)
+	resp, err = s.RcptTo("a@in.example.com", mods(nil))
+	check("rcpt", resp, err)
+	resp, err = s.Header("X-Rspamd-Action", "reject", mods(nil))
+	check("header", resp, err)
+	resp, err = s.Body(mods(nil))
+	check("end of message", resp, err)
+}

internal/milter/milter.go

@@ -53,7 +53,11 @@ type session struct {
 	// valid zero value (no in-flight accounting).
 	flight *inflight
 
-	clientIP string // captured once per connection
+	// clientIP is the client's address. Postfix gives it at Connect, once per
+	// connection, and again with every MAIL FROM as the {client_addr} macro
+	// (milter_mail_macros in build/postfix-config.sh). The second is the one
+	// that can be relied on: see MailFrom.
+	clientIP string
 
 	login    string
 	from     string
@@ -62,9 +66,8 @@ type session struct {
 	reserved []*reservation // level-2 slots held by the current message
 }
 
-// Connect captures the client IP, which comes from the addr parameter rather
+// Connect captures the client IP of a connection's first message. It is not
-// than a macro (the {client_addr} macro was empty in testing). It is the
+// enough on its own - see MailFrom.
-// rate-limit key; here it is recorded for completeness.
 func (s *session) Connect(host, family string, port uint16, addr net.IP, m *milter.Modifier) (milter.Response, error) {
 	if addr != nil {
 		s.clientIP = addr.String()
@@ -79,8 +82,21 @@ func (s *session) Connect(host, family string, port uint16, addr net.IP, m *milt
 // limit is enforced here: over the limit, the message is refused with a 4xx
 // tempfail before recipients are even offered (guide § Rate limiting).
 // Enforcement is fail-open — see overLimit.
+//
+// The client address is read again here, from the {client_addr} macro. The
+// milter library replaces the session with a new one after every reply that is
+// not "continue" - a refusal, or the accept that used to end a message - and
+// Postfix does not send Connect again on the same connection. A session made
+// that way never saw the client, so every message of a connection after the
+// first, and every MAIL FROM after a refused one, used to be judged with no
+// client address: the level-2 limit and an application's client-address list
+// both let it through. (Found on 2026-10-12; test/e2e sends two MAIL FROM on
+// one connection.)
 func (s *session) MailFrom(from string, m *milter.Modifier) (milter.Response, error) {
 	s.releaseReservations() // a previous transaction that ended without EOM/ABORT
+	if ip := clientAddr(m); ip != "" {
+		s.clientIP = ip
+	}
 	s.from = cleanAddress(from)
 	s.login = macro(m, "auth_authen")
 	s.rcpts = nil
@@ -113,13 +129,15 @@ func (s *session) Header(name, value string, m *milter.Modifier) (milter.Respons
 
 // Body fires at end-of-message, when the queue-id macro {i} is set and the
 // message is about to be committed to the queue. This is where the "queued"
-// rows are written. We accept (this milter is done) without ever rejecting.
+// rows are written. The reply is "continue", which at end-of-message lets the
+// message through just as "accept" does - and, unlike it, leaves this session
+// in place for the connection's next message (see MailFrom).
 func (s *session) Body(m *milter.Modifier) (milter.Response, error) {
 	s.record(macro(m, "i"))
 	// The rows are in the send log now, so the stored count sees this message
 	// and its level-2 slots are no longer needed.
 	s.releaseReservations()
-	return milter.RespAccept, nil
+	return milter.RespContinue, nil
 }
 
 // Abort ends the current transaction without an end-of-message (client RSET, or
@@ -143,6 +161,21 @@ func macro(m *milter.Modifier, name string) string {
 	return m.Macros["{"+name+"}"]
 }
 
+// clientAddr is the client's address from the {client_addr} macro, or "" when
+// Postfix did not send one that reads as an address. An IPv6 address may come
+// in Sendmail's form, with "IPv6:" in front.
+func clientAddr(m *milter.Modifier) string {
+	raw := strings.TrimSpace(macro(m, "client_addr"))
+	if len(raw) > 5 && strings.EqualFold(raw[:5], "IPv6:") {
+		raw = raw[5:]
+	}
+	ip := net.ParseIP(raw)
+	if ip == nil {
+		return ""
+	}
+	return ip.String()
+}
+
 // record writes one send-log row per recipient. Failures are logged, never
 // propagated: journalling must not affect mail acceptance (architecture.md §
 // Mail path).

internal/milter/milter_test.go

@@ -166,8 +166,10 @@ func TestBodyAcceptsEvenWhenRecorderFails(t *testing.T) {
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("Body returned error, must fail open: %v", err)
 	}
-	if resp != milter.RespAccept {
+	// "Continue" at end-of-message lets the message through, and keeps the
-		t.Fatalf("Body response = %v, want Accept", resp)
+	// session for the connection's next message.
+	if resp != milter.RespContinue {
+		t.Fatalf("Body response = %v, want Continue", resp)
 	}
 }
 
@@ -389,21 +391,77 @@ func TestRateLimitFailsOpenOnCountError(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
-func TestRateLimitNoIPKeyDoesNotApply(t *testing.T) {
+// A ceiling is on a domain or an application, not on an address: a message that
+// arrives with no client address is counted like any other. It used to be let
+// through, which is how the second MAIL FROM of a connection got past a limit.
+func TestRateLimitAppliesWithoutAClientIP(t *testing.T) {
 	rec := &fakeRecorder{
 		limits: map[string]store.RateLimit{
 			store.RateLimitScopeDomain + "|example.com": domainLimit(),
 		},
 		counts: map[string]int64{store.RateLimitScopeDomain + "|example.com": 999},
 	}
-	// A session with no client IP (e.g. local submission) cannot be keyed.
 	s := &session{rec: rec}
 	resp, err := s.MailFrom("a@example.com", mods(map[string]string{"auth_authen": "app1"}))
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("MailFrom: %v", err)
 	}
-	if resp != milter.RespContinue {
+	if resp != milter.RespTempFail {
-		t.Fatalf("no-IP session = %v, want Continue", resp)
+		t.Fatalf("over the limit with no client IP = %v, want TempFail", resp)
+	}
+}
+
+// The milter library hands the milter a fresh session after every reply that
+// is not "continue", and Postfix sends Connect once per connection. Such a
+// session knows the client only from the {client_addr} macro of MAIL FROM, and
+// that has to be enough for an application's client-address list.
+func TestAuthIPRestrictHoldsForASessionThatNeverSawConnect(t *testing.T) {
+	rec := &fakeRecorder{apps: map[string]store.Application{
+		"app1": {Login: "app1", AuthIPRestrict: true, AuthAllowedIPs: []string{"198.51.100.1"}},
+	}}
+	for name, c := range map[string]struct {
+		macros map[string]string
+		want   milter.Response
+	}{
+		"an unlisted address in the macro": {map[string]string{"auth_authen": "app1", "{client_addr}": limitIP}, milter.RespTempFail},
+		"the listed address in the macro":  {map[string]string{"auth_authen": "app1", "{client_addr}": "198.51.100.1"}, milter.RespContinue},
+		// No address at all is not a pass: a list an unknown address satisfies is no list.
+		"no client address": {map[string]string{"auth_authen": "app1"}, milter.RespTempFail},
+		"not an address":    {map[string]string{"auth_authen": "app1", "{client_addr}": "unknown"}, milter.RespTempFail},
+	} {
+		s := &session{rec: rec} // no Connect
+		resp, err := s.MailFrom("a@example.com", mods(c.macros))
+		if err != nil || resp != c.want {
+			t.Errorf("%s: %v, %v; want %v", name, resp, err, c.want)
+		}
+	}
+	// An application with no list is not held up by a missing address.
+	open := &fakeRecorder{apps: map[string]store.Application{"app1": {Login: "app1"}}}
+	s := &session{rec: open}
+	if resp, _ := s.MailFrom("a@example.com", mods(map[string]string{"auth_authen": "app1"})); resp != milter.RespContinue {
+		t.Errorf("no list, no address: %v, want Continue", resp)
+	}
+}
+
+// The macro wins over what Connect said, and reads both spellings of IPv6.
+func TestClientAddrFromTheMailMacro(t *testing.T) {
+	for raw, want := range map[string]string{
+		"203.0.113.7": "203.0.113.7", "2001:db8::1": "2001:db8::1", "IPv6:2001:DB8::1": "2001:db8::1",
+		"ipv6:::1": "::1", "": "", "unknown": "", "IPv6:": "",
+	} {
+		if got := clientAddr(mods(map[string]string{"{client_addr}": raw})); got != want {
+			t.Errorf("clientAddr(%q) = %q, want %q", raw, got, want)
+		}
+	}
+	s := &session{rec: &fakeRecorder{}}
+	_, _ = s.Connect("h", "tcp4", 0, net.ParseIP("192.0.2.1"), mods(nil))
+	_, _ = s.MailFrom("a@example.com", mods(map[string]string{"client_addr": "192.0.2.2"}))
+	if s.clientIP != "192.0.2.2" {
+		t.Errorf("clientIP = %q, want the macro's", s.clientIP)
+	}
+	_, _ = s.MailFrom("a@example.com", mods(nil))
+	if s.clientIP != "192.0.2.2" {
+		t.Errorf("clientIP = %q after a MAIL FROM with no macro, want it kept", s.clientIP)
 	}
 }
 

internal/milter/ratelimit.go

@@ -26,10 +26,9 @@ import (
 // reaches the send log (or is abandoned) — see inflight for why the stored
 // count alone is not enough.
 func (s *session) overLimit() bool {
-	if s.clientIP == "" {
+	// A ceiling is on a domain or an application, whatever address the mail
-		return false // no client IP to key on; level-2 does not apply
+	// comes from, so the client address is not asked for here. It used to be,
-	}
+	// and a message that arrived without one was let through uncounted.
-
 	if s.login != "" {
 		rl, ok, err := s.rec.RateLimit(store.RateLimitScopeApp, s.login)
 		if err != nil {

test/e2e/negative_test.go

@@ -52,6 +52,17 @@ func testLevel2RateLimit(t *testing.T, sc *scenario) {
 			second.dialErr, second.authErr, second.rcptErr, second.dataErr)
 	}
 
+	// The limit holds for every message of a connection, not for its first
+	// only. The milter library hands the milter a fresh session after any reply
+	// that is not "continue" - the refusal above is one - and Postfix does not
+	// introduce the client again, so a second MAIL FROM on the same connection
+	// used to arrive with no client address and was let through (found by the
+	// technical review of 2026-10-12; the same hole let an application past its
+	// client-address list).
+	if errs := mailTwiceOnOneConnection(login, password, from); errs[0] == nil || errs[1] == nil {
+		t.Fatalf("over the level-2 limit, two MAIL FROM on one connection were answered %v and %v, want both refused", errs[0], errs[1])
+	}
+
 	if err := waitFor("a rejected row for l2app in the send log", 15*time.Second, 500*time.Millisecond, func() (bool, error) {
 		rows, err := sc.panel.sendLogRows(senderDomain, login)
 		if err != nil {

test/e2e/smtp_client.go

@@ -140,3 +140,35 @@ func buildMessage(a sendAttempt) string {
 		a.from, a.to, a.subject, time.Now().UTC().Format(time.RFC1123Z), a.body,
 	)
 }
+
+// mailTwiceOnOneConnection authenticates once and sends MAIL FROM twice on the
+// same connection, with a RSET between, and returns how each was answered. No
+// message is sent: this is about what the server says to the second
+// transaction of a connection whose first was refused.
+func mailTwiceOnOneConnection(login, password, from string) [2]error {
+	var out [2]error
+	conn, err := tls.DialWithDialer(&net.Dialer{Timeout: 10 * time.Second}, "tcp", smtpsAddr, &tls.Config{
+		InsecureSkipVerify: true,
+		ServerName:         selfpostHostname,
+	})
+	if err != nil {
+		return [2]error{nil, nil}
+	}
+	c, err := smtp.NewClient(conn, selfpostHostname)
+	if err != nil {
+		_ = conn.Close()
+		return [2]error{nil, nil}
+	}
+	defer c.Close()
+	if err := c.Hello("e2e-client.e2e.test"); err != nil {
+		return [2]error{nil, nil}
+	}
+	if err := c.Auth(smtp.PlainAuth("", login, password, selfpostHostname)); err != nil {
+		return [2]error{nil, nil}
+	}
+	out[0] = c.Mail(from)
+	_ = c.Reset()
+	out[1] = c.Mail(from)
+	_ = c.Quit()
+	return out
+}