CVE-2010-4345
KEVExim Privilege Escalation Vulnerability
Description
Exim allows local users to gain privileges by leveraging the ability of the exim user account to specify an alternate configuration file with a directive that contains arbitrary commands.
Exim 4.72 and earlier allows local users to gain privileges by leveraging the ability of the exim user account to specify an alternate configuration file with a directive that contains arbitrary commands, as demonstrated by the spool_directory directive.
CVSS 3.1 vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HPublishedDec 14, 2010
Last modifiedJun 16, 2026
Added to KEVMar 25, 2022
Remediation dueApr 15, 2022
References
- bugs.exim.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1044Issue TrackingPatch
- lists.exim.org/lurker/message/20101209.172233.abcba158.en.htmlMailing ListPatch
- lists.exim.org/lurker/message/20101210.164935.385e04d0.en.htmlMailing List
- lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2010-12/msg00003.htmlMailing ListThird Party Advisory
- openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2010/12/10/1Mailing List
- secunia.com/advisories/42576Broken LinkVendor Advisory
- secunia.com/advisories/42930Broken Link
- secunia.com/advisories/43128Broken Link
- secunia.com/advisories/43243Broken Link
- cpanel.net/2010/12/critical-exim-security-update.htmlBroken Link
- debian.org/security/2010/dsa-2131Mailing ListThird Party Advisory
- debian.org/security/2011/dsa-2154Mailing ListThird Party Advisory
0 recent articles mention this CVE
71
Risk assessment · High
Actively exploited. Patch immediately.
- Exploitation
- Confirmed in the wild (CISA KEV)
- Federal remediation deadline
- Overdue by 1655 days
- CVSS
- 7.8 HIGH
- EPSS (30-day exploit probability)
- 18.0% · top 3% of all CVEs
- Weakness
- NVD-CWE-noinfo
Recommended actions
- 1.Apply updates per vendor instructions.
- 2.Treat as emergency change: patch or isolate internet-facing instances first.
- 3.Hunt for compromise: review logs for the disclosure window, not just from the patch date.
Assessment is derived automatically from the live signals above; verify against your own asset inventory.