# 110,995 - Pentesting POP

## Basic Information

**Post Office Protocol** \(**POP**\) is a type of computer networking and Internet standard **protocol** that extracts and retrieves email from a remote mail server for access by the host machine. **POP** is an application layer **protocol** in the OSI model that provides end users the ability to fetch and receive email \(from [here](https://www.techopedia.com/definition/5383/post-office-protocol-pop)\).

The POP clients generally connect, retrieve all messages, store them on the client system, and delete them from the server. There are 3 versions of POP, but POP3 is the most used one.

**Default ports:** 110, 995\(ssl\)

```text
PORT    STATE SERVICE
110/tcp open  pop3
```

## Enumeration

### Banner Grabbing

```bash
nc -nv <IP> 110
openssl s_client -connect <IP>:995 -crlf -quiet
```

## Manual

You can use the command `CAPA` to obtain the capabilities of the POP3 server.

## Automated

```bash
nmap --script "pop3-capabilities or pop3-ntlm-info" -sV -port <PORT> <IP> #All are default scripts
```

The `pop3-ntlm-info` plugin will return some "**sensitive**" data \(Windows versions\).

### [POP3 bruteforce](../brute-force.md#pop)

## POP syntax

```bash
POP commands:
  USER uid           Log in as "uid"
  PASS password      Substitue "password" for your actual password
  STAT               List number of messages, total mailbox size
  LIST               List messages and sizes
  RETR n             Show message n
  DELE n             Mark message n for deletion
  RSET               Undo any changes
  QUIT               Logout (expunges messages if no RSET)
  TOP msg n          Show first n lines of message number msg
  CAPA               Get capabilities
```

From [here](http://sunnyoasis.com/services/emailviatelnet.html)

Example:

```text
root@kali:~# telnet $ip 110
 +OK beta POP3 server (JAMES POP3 Server 2.3.2) ready 
 USER billydean    
 +OK
 PASS password
 +OK Welcome billydean

 list

 +OK 2 1807
 1 786
 2 1021

 retr 1

 +OK Message follows
 From: jamesbrown@motown.com
 Dear Billy Dean,

 Here is your login for remote desktop ... try not to forget it this time!
 username: billydean
 password: PA$$W0RD!Z
```