CVE-2010-4345
CVE-2010-4345 is a high-severity vulnerability in Exim with a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.8. It is listed in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, confirming it has been exploited in the wild (added 2022-03-25). The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-77.
Key facts
- Severity: High (CVSS 3.x base score 7.8)
- CVSS v2: 6.9
- EPSS exploit prediction: 18% (97th percentile)
- Actively exploited: Yes — listed in CISA KEV (added 2022-03-25)
- EU (EUVD) id: EUVD-2010-4314
- EU exploitation: Flagged exploited in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (since 2022-03-25)
- Weakness: CWE-77
- Affected product: Exim
- Published:
- Last modified:
Description
Exim 4.72 and earlier allows local users to gain privileges by leveraging the ability of the exim user account to specify an alternate configuration file with a directive that contains arbitrary commands, as demonstrated by the spool_directory directive.
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2010-4345?
- Exim 4.72 and earlier allows local users to gain privileges by leveraging the ability of the exim user account to specify an alternate configuration file with a directive that contains arbitrary commands, as demonstrated by the spool_directory directive.
- How severe is CVE-2010-4345?
- CVE-2010-4345 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.8, rated high severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
- Is CVE-2010-4345 being actively exploited?
- Yes. CVE-2010-4345 is on CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, added on 2022-03-25, which means active exploitation has been confirmed. It should be prioritised for remediation.
- What products are affected by CVE-2010-4345?
- CVE-2010-4345 primarily affects Exim. In total, 10 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
- How do I fix CVE-2010-4345?
- Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Because this CVE is known to be actively exploited, treat remediation as urgent — CISA KEV typically sets a short remediation deadline.
- Does CVE-2010-4345 have an EU (EUVD) identifier?
- Yes. CVE-2010-4345 is tracked in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD) as EUVD-2010-4314. It is also flagged as exploited in the EUVD (since 2022-03-25).
- When was CVE-2010-4345 published?
- CVE-2010-4345 was published on 2010-12-14 and last updated on 2026-06-16.
References
- http://bugs.exim.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1044
- http://lists.exim.org/lurker/message/20101209.172233.abcba158.en.html
- http://lists.exim.org/lurker/message/20101210.164935.385e04d0.en.html
- http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2010-12/msg00003.html
- http://openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2010/12/10/1
- http://secunia.com/advisories/42576
- http://secunia.com/advisories/42930
- http://secunia.com/advisories/43128
- http://secunia.com/advisories/43243
- http://www.cpanel.net/2010/12/critical-exim-security-update.html
- http://www.debian.org/security/2010/dsa-2131
- http://www.debian.org/security/2011/dsa-2154
- http://www.exim.org/lurker/message/20101207.215955.bb32d4f2.en.html
- http://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/758489
- http://www.metasploit.com/modules/exploit/unix/smtp/exim4_string_format
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2021/05/04/7
- http://www.redhat.com/support/errata/RHSA-2011-0153.html
- http://www.securityfocus.com/archive/1/515172/100/0/threaded
- http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/45341
- http://www.securitytracker.com/id?1024859
- http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/12/11/exim_code_execution_peril/
- http://www.ubuntu.com/usn/USN-1060-1
- http://www.vupen.com/english/advisories/2010/3171
- http://www.vupen.com/english/advisories/2010/3204
- http://www.vupen.com/english/advisories/2011/0135
- http://www.vupen.com/english/advisories/2011/0245
- http://www.vupen.com/english/advisories/2011/0364
- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=662012
- https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2010-4345
Affected products (10)
- cpe:2.3:a:exim:exim:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:opensuse:opensuse:11.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:opensuse:opensuse:11.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:opensuse:opensuse:11.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:5.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:6.06:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:8.04:*:*:*:-:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:9.10:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:10.04:*:*:*:-:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:10.10:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
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