CVE-2019-16928: Exim 4.92 through 4.92.2 allows remote code execution, a different vulnerability than CVE-2019-15846.
Noroxi assessment
Priority: Now (action score 81/100)
- CISA has confirmed exploitation in the wild (Mar 3, 2022). Remediation deadline for US federal agencies: Mar 17, 2022.
- Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 41.6% (FIRST EPSS); higher than 98.6% of all records.
- 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.
- According to CISA the attack is automatable: targets can be found by mass scanning.
- Fixed version: exim4 (Debian:10) 4.92-8+deb10u3; exim4 (Debian:12) 4.92.2-3; exim (openSUSE:Leap 15.2) 4.94.2-lp152.8.3.1.
- Mentioned 1 time in Turkish national cyber security advisories (siberguvenlik.gov.tr).
Patch today or shut off access. Upgrade to exim4 (Debian:10) 4.92-8+deb10u3; exim4 (Debian:12) 4.92.2-3; exim (openSUSE:Leap 15.2) 4.94.2-lp152.8.3.1 or later.
Generated automatically from the record's data: CVSS (NVD and CNA), CISA KEV and SSVC, FIRST EPSS, exploit sources, fixed versions. How we calculate it
Primary sources: NVD · CVE.org · CISA KEV · FIRST EPSS
Exim 4.92 through 4.92.2 allows remote code execution, a different vulnerability than CVE-2019-15846. There is a heap-based buffer overflow in string_vformat in string.c involving a long EHLO command.
- Published
- Sep 27, 2019
- Updated
- Jun 16, 2026
- EPSS
- 41.6% · 98th percentile
- CWE
- CWE-787
Report tools
Action score
81
Now
Patch today or shut off access.
- CVSS
- 39 / 40 · 9.8 / 10
- CISA KEV
- 30 / 30 · Listed
- EPSS
- 12 / 30 · 41.6%
CISA SSVC decision
- Exploitation
- active
- Automatable
- yes
- Technical impact
- total
Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.
Actively exploited in the wild
CISA added this to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on Mar 3, 2022. That signals real attacks, not theory.
Remediation deadline for US federal agencies: Mar 17, 2022.
Get told when this record changes
- In CISA KEV: exploitation in the wild confirmed
- Weaponized exploit exists
- A fix has been released
If any of these changes, we'll tell you in the daily email digest.
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Noroxi analysis
What does it mean in your environment?
The assessment above is generated automatically from the record's data; it doesn't know your environment. Our team verifies on your systems whether this vulnerability is actually exploitable and which mitigation is enough.
We use this product, ask for helpAffected systems
Is your version affected?
Pick the product and type the version you run. It's compared with this record's version ranges in your browser; the version isn't sent anywhere.
| Vendor | Product | CPE |
|---|---|---|
| exim | exim | cpe:2.3:a:exim:exim |
| canonical | ubuntu linux | cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux |
| debian | debian linux | cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux |
| fedoraproject | fedora | cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora |
Using exim? Add it to your stack and be the first to know about CVEs like this one. (Email server)
Affected versions
NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.
- exim exim4.92 and later · up to 4.92.2 inclusive
Package-level exposure
OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.
| Ecosystem | Package | Affected range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian:10 | exim4 | before 4.92-8+deb10u3 | 4.92-8+deb10u3 |
| Debian:12 | exim4 | before 4.92.2-3 | 4.92.2-3 |
| openSUSE:Leap 15.2 | exim | before 4.94.2-lp152.8.3.1 | 4.94.2-lp152.8.3.1 |
| openSUSE:Tumbleweed | exim | before 4.94.2-4.2 | 4.94.2-4.2 |
| SUSE:Package Hub 15 SP1 | exim | before 4.94.2-bp151.2.4.1 | 4.94.2-bp151.2.4.1 |
| SUSE:Package Hub 15 SP1 | libspf2 | before 1.2.10-bp151.4.1 | 1.2.10-bp151.4.1 |
| SUSE:Package Hub 15 SP2 | exim | before 4.94.2-bp152.6.4.1 | 4.94.2-bp152.6.4.1 |
| SUSE:Package Hub 15 SP2 | libspf2 | before 1.2.10-bp152.5.1 | 1.2.10-bp152.5.1 |
Same product
exim: all recordsOther highest-scoring records for the same primary product.
- CVE-2019-10149A flaw was found in Exim versions 4.87 to 4.91 (inclusive).KEV99Now
- CVE-2018-6789An issue was discovered in the base64d function in the SMTP listener in Exim before 4.90.1.KEV94Now
- CVE-2010-4344Heap-based buffer overflow in the string_vformat function in string.c in Exim before 4.70 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code KEV91Now
Published before and after this one in the same product
- ← EarlierCVE-2019-13917Jul 25, 2019 · Exim 4.85 through 4.92 (fixed in 4.92.1) allows remote code execution as root in some unusual configurations that use the ${sort } expansion42Plan
- ← EarlierCVE-2019-15846Sep 6, 2019 · Exim before 4.92.2 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code as root via a trailing backslash.50Plan
- Later →CVE-2020-8015Apr 2, 2020 · Local privilege escalation in exim package from user mail to root31Monitor
Remediation
Which version to upgrade to
Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.
| Product / package | Fixed version | Source |
|---|---|---|
| debian:exim4 | 4.92.2-3 · Debian:12 | Package registry (OSV) |
| opensuse:exim | 4.94.2-lp152.8.3.1 · openSUSE:Leap 15.2 | Package registry (OSV) |
| suse:exim | 4.94.2-bp151.2.4.1 · SUSE:Package Hub 15 SP1 | Package registry (OSV) |
| suse:libspf2 | 1.2.10-bp151.4.1 · SUSE:Package Hub 15 SP1 | Package registry (OSV) |
Exploit status
Weaponized
A ready exploit tool or active in-the-wild use is known for this vulnerability. This should be your top priority.
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.
- Published
- CISA KEV+887 d
- TodayOct 31, 2026+2590 d
No history yet (it accumulates with the daily EPSS job).
Patch and commit links
Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.
Credits
All researchersFinders, 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).
National notice (Türkiye Cybersecurity Directorate / USOM)
Official security notices citing this record; remediation advice is on the agency's page.
- TR-19-172 · Sep 30, 2019(Exim Sunucu Güvenlik Güncellemesi)
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
- high · data can be read
- Integrity
- high · data or configuration can be modified
- Availability
- high · the service can be disrupted
- Attack vector
- Network
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality impact
- High
- Integrity impact
- High
- Availability impact
- High
Weakness class (CWE)
CWE-787 · Out-of-bounds WriteCVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
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.
MITRE has no CAPEC/ATT&CK mapping for this CWE.
Change log
- Fix✗ → ✓
For records you follow, these changes also arrive as notifications. →
References
Show all references (12 more)Show less
- www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2019/09/28/4
- bugs.exim.org/show_bug.cgi?id=2449
- git.exim.org/exim.git/commit/478effbfd9c3cc5a627fc671d4bf94d13670d65f
- lists.exim.org/lurker/message/20190927.032457.c1044d4c.en.html
- lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/EED7HM3MFIBAP5OIMJAFJ35JAJABTVSC/
- lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/T3TJW4HPYH3O5HZCWGD6NSHTEBTTAPDC/
- lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/UY6HPRW7MR3KBQ5JFHH6OXM7YCZBJCOB/
- seclists.org/bugtraq/2019/Sep/60
- security.gentoo.org/glsa/202003-47
- usn.ubuntu.com/4141-1/
- www.debian.org/security/2019/dsa-4536
- www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2019-16928
Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.