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EPSS 0.1%top 99%

Exim4: Exim before 4.99.5 allows .forward privilege escalation because force_command for a pipe transport is mishandled.

0
High
VulnerabilityCVE-2026-66141gcveosvubuntu-cve-2026-66141ubuntu-pro-14-04-ltsubuntu-pro-16-04-ltsubuntu-pro-18-04-ltsubuntu-pro-20-04-ltsubuntu-22-04-ltsubuntu-24-04-ltsubuntu-26-04-lts
Published: 07/24/2026 (07/24/2026, 05:16:00 UTC)
Source: GCVE Database
Product: exim4

Description

Exim versions before 4.99.5 contain a vulnerability that allows privilege escalation via mishandling of force_command in a pipe transport for .forward files. This flaw can be exploited locally to gain elevated privileges. The issue affects multiple Ubuntu LTS versions with Exim packages prior to specific patched versions.

CVSS v3.1

Score 7.4high

Attack Vector
Local
Attack Complexity
High
Privileges Required
None
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Affected software

Ubuntu:Pro:14.04:LTSmore threats →ghsa
exim4
pkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]+esm9?arch=source&distro=esm-infra-legacy/trusty
Affected versions
=4.80-7ubuntu3=4.80-7ubuntu4=4.80-9ubuntu1=4.80-9ubuntu2=4.82-3ubuntu1=4.82-3ubuntu2=4.82-3ubuntu2.1=4.82-3ubuntu2.2=4.82-3ubuntu2.3=4.82-3ubuntu2.4=4.82-3ubuntu2.4+esm1=4.82-3ubuntu2.4+esm2=4.82-3ubuntu2.4+esm3=4.82-3ubuntu2.4+esm4=4.82-3ubuntu2.4+esm6=4.82-3ubuntu2.4+esm7=4.82-3ubuntu2.4+esm8=4.82-3ubuntu2.4+esm9
Ubuntu:Pro:16.04:LTSmore threats →ghsa
exim4
pkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]+esm9?arch=source&distro=esm-infra-legacy/xenial
Affected versions
=4.86-3ubuntu1=4.86-7ubuntu1=4.86-7ubuntu2=4.86-7ubuntu3=4.86.2-2ubuntu1=4.86.2-2ubuntu2=4.86.2-2ubuntu2.1=4.86.2-2ubuntu2.2=4.86.2-2ubuntu2.3=4.86.2-2ubuntu2.4=4.86.2-2ubuntu2.5=4.86.2-2ubuntu2.6=4.86.2-2ubuntu2.6+esm1=4.86.2-2ubuntu2.6+esm2=4.86.2-2ubuntu2.6+esm4=4.86.2-2ubuntu2.6+esm5=4.86.2-2ubuntu2.6+esm6=4.86.2-2ubuntu2.6+esm7=4.86.2-2ubuntu2.6+esm8=4.86.2-2ubuntu2.6+esm9
Ubuntu:Pro:18.04:LTSmore threats →ghsa
exim4
pkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]+esm6?arch=source&distro=esm-infra/bionic
Affected versions
=4.89-5ubuntu1=4.89-9ubuntu1=4.89-9ubuntu2=4.89-9ubuntu3=4.89-9ubuntu4=4.90.1-1ubuntu1=4.90.1-1ubuntu1.1=4.90.1-1ubuntu1.2=4.90.1-1ubuntu1.3=4.90.1-1ubuntu1.4=4.90.1-1ubuntu1.5=4.90.1-1ubuntu1.8=4.90.1-1ubuntu1.9=4.90.1-1ubuntu1.10=4.90.1-1ubuntu1.10+esm1=4.90.1-1ubuntu1.10+esm2=4.90.1-1ubuntu1.10+esm3=4.90.1-1ubuntu1.10+esm4=4.90.1-1ubuntu1.10+esm5=4.90.1-1ubuntu1.10+esm6
Ubuntu:Pro:20.04:LTSmore threats →ghsa
exim4
pkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]+esm1?arch=source&distro=esm-infra/focal
Affected versions
=4.92.1-1ubuntu3=4.92.1-1ubuntu4=4.93~RC2-1ubuntu1=4.93-9ubuntu1=4.93-11ubuntu1=4.93-12ubuntu1=4.93-13ubuntu1=4.93-13ubuntu1.1=4.93-13ubuntu1.5=4.93-13ubuntu1.6=4.93-13ubuntu1.7=4.93-13ubuntu1.8=4.93-13ubuntu1.9=4.93-13ubuntu1.10=4.93-13ubuntu1.11=4.93-13ubuntu1.12=4.93-13ubuntu1.12+esm1
Ubuntu:22.04:LTSmore threats →ghsa
exim4
pkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]?arch=source&distro=jammy
Affected versions
<4.95-4ubuntu2.11=4.94.2-7ubuntu2=4.95-2ubuntu2=4.95-4ubuntu1=4.95-4ubuntu2=4.95-4ubuntu2.1=4.95-4ubuntu2.2=4.95-4ubuntu2.3=4.95-4ubuntu2.4=4.95-4ubuntu2.5=4.95-4ubuntu2.6=4.95-4ubuntu2.7=4.95-4ubuntu2.8=4.95-4ubuntu2.9=4.95-4ubuntu2.10
Ubuntu:24.04:LTSmore threats →ghsa
exim4
pkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]?arch=source&distro=noble
Affected versions
<4.97-4ubuntu4.7=4.96-17ubuntu2=4.96-17ubuntu2.1=4.97-3ubuntu1=4.97-4ubuntu1=4.97-4ubuntu3=4.97-4ubuntu4=4.97-4ubuntu4.1=4.97-4ubuntu4.2=4.97-4ubuntu4.3=4.97-4ubuntu4.4=4.97-4ubuntu4.5=4.97-4ubuntu4.6
Ubuntu:26.04:LTSmore threats →ghsa
exim4
pkg:deb/ubuntu/[email protected]?arch=source&distro=resolute
Affected versions
<4.99.1-1ubuntu1.4=4.98.2-1ubuntu2=4.99-4ubuntu1=4.99.1-1ubuntu1=4.99.1-1ubuntu1.1=4.99.1-1ubuntu1.2=4.99.1-1ubuntu1.3

Run on your own infrastructure? Check whether these packages are installed with threat-finder — our free open-source scanner.

AI-Powered Analysis

Machine-generated threat intelligence

AILast updated: 07/30/2026, 07:15:12 UTC

Technical Analysis

Exim before version 4.99.5 improperly handles the force_command directive for pipe transports, which can be exploited through .forward files to escalate privileges. This vulnerability affects numerous Ubuntu-distributed Exim4 package versions. The issue allows a local attacker to gain elevated privileges due to incorrect enforcement of force_command restrictions. The vulnerability is identified by CVSS 3.1 vector AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H, indicating local attack vector, high attack complexity, no privileges required, no user interaction, and high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability.

Potential Impact

Successful exploitation allows a local attacker to escalate privileges on the affected system by exploiting the mishandling of force_command in pipe transports. This can lead to full system compromise, including unauthorized access to sensitive data and disruption of services.

Mitigation Recommendations

A fix is available in Exim version 4.99.5 and later. Users should upgrade to version 4.99.5 or newer to remediate this vulnerability. Since this is not a cloud service, remediation depends on applying the official patch or upgrading the affected Exim4 packages.

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Technical Details

Gcve Source
db.gcve.eu
Osv Id
UBUNTU-CVE-2026-66141
Osv Schema Version
1.7.0
Aliases
[]
Ecosystems
["Ubuntu:Pro:14.04:LTS","Ubuntu:Pro:16.04:LTS","Ubuntu:Pro:18.04:LTS","Ubuntu:Pro:20.04:LTS","Ubuntu:22.04:LTS","Ubuntu:24.04:LTS","Ubuntu:26.04:LTS"]
Database Specific Severity
null
Cvss Version
3.1

Threat ID: 6a6ae5469c2644c7f898828f

Added to database: 07/30/2026, 05:46:46 UTC

Last enriched: 07/30/2026, 07:15:12 UTC

Last updated: 07/31/2026, 19:23:00 UTC

Views: 5

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