How severe is CVE-2021-27216?

CVE-2021-27216 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.3, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over local access with high attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2021-27216 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (58th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2021-27216?

CVE-2021-27216 affects Exim. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.

How do I fix CVE-2021-27216?

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

When was CVE-2021-27216 published?

CVE-2021-27216 was published on 2021-05-06 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2021-27216

CVE-2021-27216 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Exim with a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.3. 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-362.

Key facts

Severity: Medium (CVSS 3.x base score 6.3)
CVSS v2: 6.3
EPSS exploit prediction: 1% (58th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-362
Affected product: Exim
Published: 2021-05-06
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

Exim 4 before 4.94.2 has Execution with Unnecessary Privileges. By leveraging a delete_pid_file race condition, a local user can delete arbitrary files as root. This involves the -oP and -oPX options.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2021-27216?: Exim 4 before 4.94.2 has Execution with Unnecessary Privileges. By leveraging a delete_pid_file race condition, a local user can delete arbitrary files as root. This involves the -oP and -oPX options.
How severe is CVE-2021-27216?: CVE-2021-27216 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.3, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over local access with high attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2021-27216 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (58th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2021-27216?: CVE-2021-27216 affects Exim. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2021-27216?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2021-27216 published?: CVE-2021-27216 was published on 2021-05-06 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

https://www.exim.org/static/doc/security/CVE-2020-qualys/CVE-2020-28007-LFDIR.txt

Affected products (1)

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

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Other CWE-362 (Race Condition) vulnerabilities

CVE-2022-27626 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): A vulnerability regarding concurrent execution using shared resource with improper synchronization ('Race Condition')…
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CVE-2014-0703 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Cisco Wireless LAN Controller (WLC) devices 7.4 before 7.4.110.0 distribute Aironet IOS software with a race condition…
CVE-2010-1228 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Multiple race conditions in the sandbox infrastructure in Google Chrome before 4.1.249.1036 have unspecified impact and…
CVE-2008-6598 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Multiple race conditions in WANPIPE before 3.3.6 have unknown impact and attack vectors related to "bri restart logic."
CVE-2026-46137 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: mptcp: pm: ADD_ADDR rtx: fix potential…

Browse all CWE-362 (Race Condition) vulnerabilities →

Threat intelligence

Threat-intel indicators referencing this CVE:

76.12.128.249 (ipv4-addr)
50.116.72.139 (ipv4-addr)
166.62.41.190 (ipv4-addr)
132.148.155.138 (ipv4-addr)
50.62.22.47 (ipv4-addr)
31.131.22.122 (ipv4-addr)
193.68.57.43 (ipv4-addr)
192.169.201.223 (ipv4-addr)