How severe is CVE-2016-1531?

CVE-2016-1531 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.0, rated high severity. It is exploitable over local access with high attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2016-1531 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 6% (92nd percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2016-1531?

CVE-2016-1531 affects Exim. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.

How do I fix CVE-2016-1531?

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-2016-1531 published?

CVE-2016-1531 was published on 2016-04-07 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2016-1531

CVE-2016-1531 is a high-severity vulnerability in Exim with a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.0. 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-264.

Key facts

Severity: High (CVSS 3.x base score 7.0)
CVSS v2: 6.9
EPSS exploit prediction: 6% (92nd percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-264
Affected product: Exim
Published: 2016-04-07
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

Exim before 4.86.2, when installed setuid root, allows local users to gain privileges via the perl_startup argument.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2016-1531?: Exim before 4.86.2, when installed setuid root, allows local users to gain privileges via the perl_startup argument.
How severe is CVE-2016-1531?: CVE-2016-1531 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.0, rated high severity. It is exploitable over local access with high attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2016-1531 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 6% (92nd percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2016-1531?: CVE-2016-1531 affects Exim. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2016-1531?: 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-2016-1531 published?: CVE-2016-1531 was published on 2016-04-07 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (1)

cpe:2.3:a:exim:exim:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Exim

CVE-2026-45185 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): Exim before 4.99.3, in certain GnuTLS configurations, has a remotely reachable use-after-free in the BDAT body parsing…
CVE-2023-42117 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): Exim Improper Neutralization of Special Elements Remote Code Execution Vulnerability. This vulnerability allows remote…
CVE-2023-42116 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): Exim SMTP Challenge Stack-based Buffer Overflow Remote Code Execution Vulnerability. This vulnerability allows remote…
CVE-2023-42115 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): Exim AUTH Out-Of-Bounds Write Remote Code Execution Vulnerability. This vulnerability allows remote attackers to…
CVE-2022-37452 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): Exim before 4.95 has a heap-based buffer overflow for the alias list in host_name_lookup in host.c when…
CVE-2020-28026 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): Exim 4 before 4.94.2 has Improper Neutralization of Line Delimiters, relevant in non-default configurations that enable…

All CVEs affecting Exim →

Other CWE-264 (Permissions, Privileges, and Access Controls) vulnerabilities

CVE-2016-8363 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): An issue was discovered in Moxa OnCell OnCellG3470A-LTE, AWK-1131A/3131A/4131A Series, AWK-3191 Series, AWK-5232/6232…
CVE-2016-7457 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): VMware vRealize Operations (aka vROps) 6.x before 6.4.0 allows remote authenticated users to gain privileges, or halt…
CVE-2015-7425 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): The Data Protection component in the VMware vSphere GUI in IBM Tivoli Storage Manager for Virtual Environments: Data…
CVE-2015-8267 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): The PasswordReset.Controllers.ResetController.ChangePasswordIndex method in PasswordReset.dll in Dovestones AD Self…
CVE-2015-7919 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): SearchBlox 8.3 before 8.3.1 allows remote attackers to write to the config file, and consequently cause a denial of…
CVE-2015-7071 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): The File Bookmark component in Apple OS X before 10.11.2 allows attackers to bypass a sandbox protection mechanism for…

Browse all CWE-264 (Permissions, Privileges, and Access Controls) vulnerabilities →