The receive_msg function in receive.c in the SMTP daemon in Exim 4.88 and 4.89 allows…
Priority HIGH 68CWE-835Published · Updated
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- Denial of service
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- None · None · High
- Fix status
- No fix listed
Attack profile from CVSS 3.0 · NVD. Fix status from CNA. Impact type from CWE-835.
Summary
The receive_msg function in receive.c in the SMTP daemon in Exim 4.88 and 4.89 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (infinite loop and stack exhaustion) via vectors involving BDAT commands and an improper check for a '.' character signifying the end of the content, related to the bdat_getc function.
Why it matters now
EPSS 0.63358 99th percentileScored 2026-11-07
Public exploit Yes 2 exploit referencesTagged by NVD and the CNA
Fix No fix listed No fixed version in the sources yet
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 →
Not affected: 1 product
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2017-16944
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-vpr2-5gxq-hjc6
References
Advisory 1
Sources
- CVE-2017-16944 · CVE Program
- CVE-2017-16944 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-vpr2-5gxq-hjc6 · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2017-16944 · 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