CVE-2007-5116

CVE-2007-5116 is a high-severity vulnerability in Larry Wall Perl with a CVSS 2.0 base score of 7.5. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-119.

Key facts

Description

Buffer overflow in the polymorphic opcode support in the Regular Expression Engine (regcomp.c) in Perl 5.8 allows context-dependent attackers to execute arbitrary code by switching from byte to Unicode (UTF) characters in a regular expression.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2007-5116?
Buffer overflow in the polymorphic opcode support in the Regular Expression Engine (regcomp.c) in Perl 5.8 allows context-dependent attackers to execute arbitrary code by switching from byte to Unicode (UTF) characters in a regular expression.
How severe is CVE-2007-5116?
CVE-2007-5116 has a CVSS 2.0 base score of 7.5, rated high severity.
Is CVE-2007-5116 being actively exploited?
It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 5% (91st percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2007-5116?
CVE-2007-5116 primarily affects Larry Wall Perl. In total, 14 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2007-5116?
Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2007-5116 published?
CVE-2007-5116 was published on 2007-11-07 and last updated on 2026-06-16.

References

Affected products (14)

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