CVE-2016-10045
Publication date 30 December 2016
Last updated 25 August 2025
Ubuntu priority
Cvss 3 Severity Score
Description
The isMail transport in PHPMailer before 5.2.20 might allow remote attackers to pass extra parameters to the mail command and consequently execute arbitrary code by leveraging improper interaction between the escapeshellarg function and internal escaping performed in the mail function in PHP. NOTE: this vulnerability exists because of an incorrect fix for CVE-2016-10033.
Status
| Package | Ubuntu Release | Status |
|---|---|---|
| libphp-phpmailer | 22.04 LTS jammy |
Not affected
|
| 20.04 LTS focal |
Not affected
|
|
| 18.04 LTS bionic |
Not affected
|
|
| 16.04 LTS xenial |
Fixed 5.2.14+dfsg-1ubuntu0.1~esm1
|
|
| 14.04 LTS trusty | Not in release | |
Get expanded security coverage with Ubuntu Pro
Reduce your average CVE exposure time from 98 days to 1 day with expanded CVE patching, ten-years security maintenance and optional support for the full stack of open-source applications. Free for personal use.
Get Ubuntu Pro 30-day free trialNotes
Severity score breakdown
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Base score |
|
| Attack vector | Network |
| Attack complexity | Low |
| Privileges required | None |
| User interaction | None |
| Scope | Unchanged |
| Confidentiality | High |
| Integrity impact | High |
| Availability impact | High |
| Vector | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
References
Related Ubuntu Security Notices (USN)
- USN-5956-1
- PHPMailer vulnerabilities
- 15 March 2023
Other references
- https://legalhackers.com/advisories/PHPMailer-Exploit-Remote-Code-Exec-CVE-2016-10045-Vuln-Patch-Bypass.html
- http://openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2016/12/28/1
- http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/140286/PHPMailer-Remote-Code-Execution.html
- http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2016/Dec/81
- https://developer.joomla.org/security-centre/668-20161205-phpmailer-security-advisory.html
- https://github.com/PHPMailer/PHPMailer/releases/tag/v5.2.20
- https://github.com/PHPMailer/PHPMailer/wiki/About-the-CVE-2016-10033-and-CVE-2016-10045-vulnerabilities
- https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/40969/
- https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2016-10045