Perl MIME-tools drops RFC 2231 filenames with hyphenated language tag
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- —
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- None · Low · None
- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 1 without a fix
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CISA ADP. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat.
Summary
MIME-tools for Perl versions before 5.521 mishandles RFC 2231 filename parameters that carry a hyphenated language tag. The parser cannot strip the language suffix, so recommended_filename() returns an empty string instead of falling back to the name parameter (CWE-436). A remote sender without privileges or user interaction can get an attachment past a policy that checks file extensions on the recommended filename.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-11-05
Description from the CNA
MIME::Field::ParamVal versions before 5.521 for Perl turn an RFC 2231 filename with a hyphenated language tag into an empty recommended filename. A parameter such as filename*=utf-8'en-US'payload.exe is converted to an encoded word with the language tag appended to the charset. The decoder strips the language suffix only when it is a single word, so it cannot resolve the charset UTF-8*EN-US and returns an empty string. The recommended_filename() method returns that empty string rather than falling back to the name parameter. Other mail readers return payload.exe. A remote sender can get an attachment past a policy that checks file extensions on the recommended filename.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- Yes
- Technical impact
- Partial
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | MIME-tools | before 5.521 | 5.521 | Patch available | CNA |
- MIME-tools Vendor— Affected before 5.521 Fixed in 5.521 Patch available CNA
Remediation
Update MIME-tools to version 5.521. Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 is affected, and the sources list no fixed version for it.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-11-05
- Fix · CNA MIME-tools Fixed in 5.521
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Moderate. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 | Affected | No fix planned: Out of support scope |
Timeline
- 2026-10-28 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-116269
- 2026-10-28 Alias added: GHSA-h2xx-9xmf-ppmv
- 2026-10-30 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
- 2026-10-30 CVSS score added · Red Hat
- 2026-11-05 CVSS score added · CISA ADP
- 2026-11-05 CISA SSVC decision points changed
References
Sources
- CVE-2026-116269 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-116269 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-h2xx-9xmf-ppmv · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-116269 · 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