How severe is CVE-2009-1490?

CVE-2009-1490 has a CVSS 2.0 base score of 5.0, rated medium severity.

Is CVE-2009-1490 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 13% (96th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2009-1490?

CVE-2009-1490 primarily affects Sendmail. In total, 60 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2009-1490?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.

When was CVE-2009-1490 published?

CVE-2009-1490 was published on 2009-05-05 and last updated on 2026-06-16.

CVE-2009-1490

CVE-2009-1490 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Sendmail with a CVSS 2.0 base score of 5.0. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score of 13% places it in the 96th percentile, indicating an elevated likelihood of exploitation. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-119.

Key facts

Severity: Medium (CVSS 2.0 base score 5.0)
EPSS exploit prediction: 13% (96th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-119
Affected product: Sendmail
Published: 2009-05-05
Last modified: 2026-06-16

Description

Heap-based buffer overflow in Sendmail before 8.13.2 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (daemon crash) and possibly execute arbitrary code via a long X- header, as demonstrated by an X-Testing header.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2009-1490?: Heap-based buffer overflow in Sendmail before 8.13.2 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (daemon crash) and possibly execute arbitrary code via a long X- header, as demonstrated by an X-Testing header.
How severe is CVE-2009-1490?: CVE-2009-1490 has a CVSS 2.0 base score of 5.0, rated medium severity.
Is CVE-2009-1490 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 13% (96th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2009-1490?: CVE-2009-1490 primarily affects Sendmail. In total, 60 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2009-1490?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2009-1490 published?: CVE-2009-1490 was published on 2009-05-05 and last updated on 2026-06-16.

References

Affected products (60)

cpe:2.3:a:sendmail:sendmail:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:sendmail:sendmail:2.6:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:sendmail:sendmail:2.6:*:nt:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:sendmail:sendmail:2.6.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:sendmail:sendmail:2.6.1:*:nt:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:sendmail:sendmail:2.6.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:sendmail:sendmail:3.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:sendmail:sendmail:3.0:*:nt:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:sendmail:sendmail:3.0.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:sendmail:sendmail:3.0.1:*:nt:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:sendmail:sendmail:3.0.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:sendmail:sendmail:3.0.2:*:nt:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:sendmail:sendmail:3.0.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:sendmail:sendmail:4.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:sendmail:sendmail:4.55:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:sendmail:sendmail:5:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:sendmail:sendmail:5.59:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:sendmail:sendmail:5.61:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:sendmail:sendmail:5.65:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:sendmail:sendmail:8.6.7:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:sendmail:sendmail:8.7.6:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:sendmail:sendmail:8.7.7:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:sendmail:sendmail:8.7.8:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:sendmail:sendmail:8.7.9:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:sendmail:sendmail:8.7.10:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:sendmail:sendmail:8.8.8:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:sendmail:sendmail:8.9.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:sendmail:sendmail:8.9.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:sendmail:sendmail:8.9.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:sendmail:sendmail:8.9.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:sendmail:sendmail:8.10:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:sendmail:sendmail:8.10.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:sendmail:sendmail:8.10.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:sendmail:sendmail:8.10.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:sendmail:sendmail:8.11.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:sendmail:sendmail:8.11.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:sendmail:sendmail:8.11.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:sendmail:sendmail:8.11.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:sendmail:sendmail:8.11.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:sendmail:sendmail:8.11.5:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Sendmail

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