How severe is CVE-2017-16844?

CVE-2017-16844 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2017-16844 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-2017-16844?

CVE-2017-16844 affects Procmail. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.

How do I fix CVE-2017-16844?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its critical severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.

When was CVE-2017-16844 published?

CVE-2017-16844 was published on 2017-11-16 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2017-16844

CVE-2017-16844 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Procmail with a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8. 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: Critical (CVSS 3.x base score 9.8)
CVSS v2: 10.0
EPSS exploit prediction: 13% (96th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-119
Affected product: Procmail
Published: 2017-11-16
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

Heap-based buffer overflow in the loadbuf function in formisc.c in formail in procmail 3.22 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (application crash) or possibly execute arbitrary code via a crafted e-mail message because of a hardcoded realloc size, a different vulnerability than CVE-2014-3618.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2017-16844?: Heap-based buffer overflow in the loadbuf function in formisc.c in formail in procmail 3.22 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (application crash) or possibly execute arbitrary code via a crafted e-mail message because of a hardcoded realloc size, a different vulnerability than CVE-2014-3618.
How severe is CVE-2017-16844?: CVE-2017-16844 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2017-16844 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-2017-16844?: CVE-2017-16844 affects Procmail. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2017-16844?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its critical severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2017-16844 published?: CVE-2017-16844 was published on 2017-11-16 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (1)

cpe:2.3:a:procmail:procmail:3.22:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Procmail

CVE-2014-3618 — High (CVSS 7.5): Heap-based buffer overflow in formisc.c in formail in procmail 3.22 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of…
CVE-1999-0439 — High (CVSS 7.5): Buffer overflow in procmail before version 3.12 allows remote or local attackers to execute commands via expansions in…
CVE-2001-0905 — Medium (CVSS 6.2): Race condition in signal handling of procmail 3.20 and earlier, when running setuid, allows local users to cause a…
CVE-1999-0475 — Low (CVSS 1.2): A race condition in how procmail handles .procmailrc files allows a local user to read arbitrary files available to the…

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