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CVE-2016-7966· NVD / CVE Program· CNA mitre

Through a malicious URL that contained a quote character it was possible to inject HTML code in KMail's plaintext viewer.

Through a malicious URL that contained a quote character it was possible to inject HTML code in KMail's plaintext viewer. Due to the parser used on the URL it was not possible to include the equal sign (=) or a space into the injected HTML, which greatly reduces the available HTML functionality. Although it is possible to include an HTML comment indicator to hide content.

HighCVSS 7.3 · v3.0—No exploit Fix available
Published
Dec 23, 2016
Updated
Jun 16, 2026
EPSS
2.3% · 83th percentile
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Report tools

JSON

Action score

30

Monitor

Low priority for now.

CVSS
29 / 40 · 7.3 / 10
CISA KEV
0 / 30 · Not listed
EPSS
1 / 30 · 2.3%

Affected systems

VendorProduct
kdekmail
debiandebian linux
fedoraprojectfedora
suselinux enterprise

Affected versions

NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.

  • debian debian linux8.0
  • fedoraproject fedora25
  • kde kmailup to 4.4.0 inclusive
  • suse linux enterprise12.0

Package-level exposure

OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.

EcosystemPackageAffected rangeFix
Debian:12kcoreaddonsbefore 5.26.0-35.26.0-3
Debian:7kdepimlibsbefore 4:4.8.4-2+deb7u14:4.8.4-2+deb7u1
Debian:8kdepimlibsbefore 4:4.14.2-2+deb8u24:4.14.2-2+deb8u2
SUSE:Package Hub 12 SP1kcoreaddonsbefore 5.20.0-6.15.20.0-6.1

Same product

kde: all records

Other highest-scoring records for the same primary product.

  • CVE-2016-7967KMail since version 5.3.0 used a QWebEngine based viewer that had JavaScript enabled.
    33Monitor
  • CVE-2017-9604KDE kmail before 5.5.2 and messagelib before 5.5.2, as distributed in KDE Applications before 17.04.2, do not ensure that a plugin's sign/en
    30Monitor
  • CVE-2020-15954KDE KMail 19.12.3 (aka 5.13.3) engages in unencrypted POP3 communication during times when the UI indicates that encryption is in use.
    26Monitor
  • CVE-2020-11880An issue was discovered in KDE KMail before 19.12.3.
    26Monitor
  • CVE-2016-7968KMail since version 5.3.0 used a QWebEngine based viewer that had JavaScript enabled.
    26Monitor
  • CVE-2014-8878KDE KMail does not encrypt attachments in emails when "automatic encryption" is enabled, which allows remote attackers to obtain sensitive i
    23Monitor

Remediation

Which version to upgrade to

Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.

Product / packageFixed versionSource
debian:kcoreaddons5.26.0-3 · Debian:12Package registry (OSV)
debian:kdepimlibs4:4.8.4-2+deb7u1 · Debian:7Package registry (OSV)
suse:kcoreaddons5.20.0-6.1 · SUSE:Package Hub 12 SP1Package registry (OSV)

Exploit status

No known public exploit

No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.

Research context

For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.

Timeline

From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.

No dated events beyond publication.

EPSS, last 120 days

FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).

Patch and commit links

Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.

No commit or PR link among the references.

Credits

All researchers

Finders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.

No credits in the CNA record.

Variant candidates

Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.

No nightly-computed relations.

Chain candidates

An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.

—

Bug bounty scope

No known public program.

Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).

Technical details

Attack conditions

  • Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it.
  • No account or password is required.
  • No user action is required.
  • No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.

If successful

Confidentiality
low · data can be read
Integrity
low · data or configuration can be modified
Availability
low · the service can be disrupted
Attack vector
Network
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality impact
Low
Integrity impact
Low
Availability impact
Low

Weakness class (CWE)

CWE-94 · Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection')

CVSS vector

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L

nvd-primary

Attack context

MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.

Noroxi analysis

No Noroxi analysis for this record yet

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Change log

  1. Fix✗ → ✓

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References

Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.

All records