Exim before 4.86.2, when installed setuid root, allows local users to gain privileges via the perl_startup argument.
Priority MEDIUM 40CWE-264Published · Updated
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Local
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- High
- Impact type
- Security bypass
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- High · High · High
- Fix status
- Will not fix Red Hat: no fix planned
Attack profile from CVSS 3.0 · NVD. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat. Impact type from CWE-264.
Summary
Exim before 4.86.2, when installed setuid root, allows local users to gain privileges via the perl_startup argument.
Why it matters now
EPSS 0.06236 93rd percentileScored 2026-11-07
Public exploit Yes 4 exploit referencesTagged by the CNA and NVD
Fix Will not fix Red Hat: no fix planned
SSVC decision points
Not available: CISA has not published SSVC decision points for this record.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | — | all versions | — | No fix listed | CNA |
- — Vendor— Affected all versions Fixed in — No fix listed CNA
Remediation
No fixed version listed by the sources yet.
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Important. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 | Affected | No fix planned: Will not fix |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 | Affected | No fix planned: Will not fix |
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2016-1531
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-qqgw-xrxj-r5fc
References
More Exim vulnerabilities
- TI-2019-12627 Exim 4.92 through 4.92.2 allows remote code execution, a different vulnerability than… KEVCVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2019-07471 OS command injection in exim KEVCVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2018-04965 An issue was discovered in the base64d function in the SMTP listener in Exim before… KEVCVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2010-04077 Heap-based buffer overflow in the string_vformat function in string.c in Exim before 4.70… KEVCVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2010-04078 Exim 4.72 and earlier allows local users to gain privileges by leveraging the ability of… KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 7.8
- TI-2025-19707 SQL injection in Exim CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
Sources
- CVE-2016-1531 · CVE Program
- CVE-2016-1531 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-qqgw-xrxj-r5fc · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2016-1531 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences