OS command injection in exim
Priority CRITICAL 100Exploited in the wildCWE-78Published · Updated
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- Code execution
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- High · High · High
- Fix status
- No fix listed
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · NVD. Fix status from CNA. Impact type from CWE-78.
Summary
A flaw was found in Exim versions 4.87 to 4.91 (inclusive). Improper validation of recipient address in deliver_message() function in /src/deliver.c may lead to remote command execution.
Why it matters now
Exploitation Active In CISA KEV since 2022-01-10CISA due date 2022-07-10
EPSS 0.99961 99th percentileScored 2026-11-07
Public exploit Yes 5 exploit referencesTagged by NVD
Fix No fix listed No fixed version in the sources yet
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- Active
- Automatable
- No
- Technical impact
- Total
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exim | exim | 4.92 | — | No fix listed | CNA |
- exim VendorExim Affected 4.92 Fixed in — No fix listed CNA
CPE configurations NVD · 4
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:a:exim:exim:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 4.87 – 4.91 | Vulnerable | Exim |
| cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:18.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:* | 18.04 | Vulnerable | Canonical |
| cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:18.10:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 18.10 | Vulnerable | Canonical |
| cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:9.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 9.0 | Vulnerable | Debian |
- cpe:2.3:a:exim:exim:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 4.87 – 4.91 Vulnerable ·Exim
- cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:18.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:* Versions 18.04 Vulnerable ·Canonical
- cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:18.10:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 18.10 Vulnerable ·Canonical
- cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:9.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 9.0 Vulnerable ·Debian
Remediation
No fixed version listed by the sources yet.
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Critical. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
Not affected: 1 product
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5
Timeline
- 2022-01-10 Added to CISA KEV
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2019-10149
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-5r7w-xvrp-rg22
References
Exploit 5
- [oss-security] 20190605 Re: CVE-2019-10149: Exim 4.87 to 4.91: possible remote exploit
- [oss-security] 20190606 Re: CVE-2019-10149: Exim 4.87 to 4.91: possible remote exploit
- http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/153218/Exim-4.9.1-Remote-Command-Execution.html
- http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/153312/Exim-4.91-Local-Privilege-Escalation.html
- http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/154198/Exim-4.91-Local-Privilege-Escalation.html
Advisory 13
- [oss-security] 20190605 Re: CVE-2019-10149: Exim 4.87 to 4.91: possible remote exploit
- USN-4010-1
- DSA-4456
- 20190605 [SECURITY] [DSA 4456-1] exim4 security update
- GLSA-201906-01
- openSUSE-SU-2019:1524
- 20190611 The Return of the WIZard: RCE in Exim (CVE-2019-10149)
- [oss-security] 20190725 Re: Statistics for distros lists updated for 2019Q2
- [oss-security] 20190725 Re: Statistics for distros lists updated for 2019Q2
- [oss-security] 20190726 Re: Statistics for distros lists updated for 2019Q2
- [oss-security] 20210504 21Nails: Multiple vulnerabilities in Exim
- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=CVE-2019-10149
- https://www.exim.org/static/doc/security/CVE-2019-10149.txt
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-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
- TI-2023-22483 Out-of-bounds write in Exim CVSS 3.0CRITICAL 9.8
Sources
- CVE-2019-10149 · CVE Program
- CVE-2019-10149 · NVD
- CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-5r7w-xvrp-rg22 · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2019-10149 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
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