CVE-2023-51766
CVE-2023-51766 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Exim with a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.3. 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-345.
Key facts
- Severity: Medium (CVSS 3.x base score 5.3)
- EPSS exploit prediction: 1% (61st percentile)
- Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
- Weakness: CWE-345
- Affected product: Exim
- Published:
- Last modified:
Description
Exim before 4.97.1 allows SMTP smuggling in certain PIPELINING/CHUNKING configurations. Remote attackers can use a published exploitation technique to inject e-mail messages with a spoofed MAIL FROM address, allowing bypass of an SPF protection mechanism. This occurs because Exim supports <LF>.<CR><LF> but some other popular e-mail servers do not.
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2023-51766?
- Exim before 4.97.1 allows SMTP smuggling in certain PIPELINING/CHUNKING configurations. Remote attackers can use a published exploitation technique to inject e-mail messages with a spoofed MAIL FROM address, allowing bypass of an SPF protection mechanism. This occurs because Exim supports <LF>.<CR><LF> but some other popular e-mail servers do not.
- How severe is CVE-2023-51766?
- CVE-2023-51766 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.3, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity low, and availability none.
- Is CVE-2023-51766 being actively exploited?
- It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (61st percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
- What products are affected by CVE-2023-51766?
- CVE-2023-51766 primarily affects Exim. In total, 7 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
- How do I fix CVE-2023-51766?
- Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
- When was CVE-2023-51766 published?
- CVE-2023-51766 was published on 2023-12-24 and last updated on 2026-06-17.
References
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2023/12/24/1
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2023/12/25/1
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2023/12/29/2
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2024/01/01/1
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2024/01/01/2
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2024/01/01/3
- https://bugs.exim.org/show_bug.cgi?id=3063
- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2255852
- https://exim.org/static/doc/security/CVE-2023-51766.txt
- https://fahrplan.events.ccc.de/congress/2023/fahrplan/events/11782.html
- https://git.exim.org/exim.git/commit/5bb786d5ad568a88d50d15452aacc8404047e5ca
- https://git.exim.org/exim.git/commit/cf1376206284f2a4f11e32d931d4aade34c206c5
- https://github.com/Exim/exim/blob/master/doc/doc-txt/cve-2023-51766
- https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2024/01/msg00002.html
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/ORN7OKEQPPBKUHYRQ6LR5PSNBQVDHAWB/
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/QPDWHJPABVJCXDSNELSSVTIVAJU2MDUQ/
- https://lwn.net/Articles/956533/
- https://sec-consult.com/blog/detail/smtp-smuggling-spoofing-e-mails-worldwide/
- https://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2023/12/23/2
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8KPV96g1To
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/[email protected]/message/ORN7OKEQPPBKUHYRQ6LR5PSNBQVDHAWB/
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/[email protected]/message/QPDWHJPABVJCXDSNELSSVTIVAJU2MDUQ/
Affected products (7)
- cpe:2.3:a:exim:exim:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:fedoraproject:extra_packages_for_enterprise_linux:7.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:fedoraproject:extra_packages_for_enterprise_linux:8.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:fedoraproject:extra_packages_for_enterprise_linux:9.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:38:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:39:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:10.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
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Browse all CWE-345 (Insufficient Verification of Data Authenticity) vulnerabilities →
Threat intelligence
Threat-intel indicators referencing this CVE:
- 193.202.11.112 (ipv4-addr)
- 76.12.128.249 (ipv4-addr)
- 50.116.72.139 (ipv4-addr)
- 166.62.41.190 (ipv4-addr)
- 160.187.147.124 (ipv4-addr)
- 132.148.155.138 (ipv4-addr)
- 77.221.151.241 (ipv4-addr)
- 37.221.254.200 (ipv4-addr)