Information
dovecot is an open source IMAP and POP3 server for Linux based systems.
Rationale:
Unless POP3 and/or IMAP servers are to be provided by this system, it is recommended that the service be deleted to reduce the potential attack surface.
Solution
Run the following command to disable dovecot :
# systemctl disable dovecot
Notes:
Additional methods of disabling a service exist. Consult your distribution documentation for appropriate methods.
Several IMAP/POP3 servers exist and can use other service names. courier-imap and cyrus-imap are example services that provide a mail server. These and other services should also be audited.