CVE-2019-16928Exim 4.92 through 4.92.2 allows remote code execution, a different vulnerability than CVE-2019-15846. There is a heap-based buffer…
- 9.8CriticalCVSS base score
- 41.6%Exploitation in 30 daysEPSS · top 1.3% of all CVEs
- YesKnown exploitedin CISA's KEV since 3 Mar 2022
- YesPublic exploitsa reference or SSVC says so
Description
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.
Exploited in the wild
CISA lists this vulnerability in its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog as Exim Out-of-bounds Write Vulnerability.
- Added
- 3 Mar 2022
- Fix due (US federal)
- 17 Mar 2022
- Used by ransomware
- Not known
Apply updates per vendor instructions.
ENISA's EU Vulnerability Database lists it as exploited, from CISA's KEV, since 3 Mar 2022.
Public exploit
An exploit or proof of concept is public: anyone can try it against an unpatched system. CISA's SSVC rates its exploitation: it is being exploited.
Timeline
ID reserved
By mitre
Published
- 2 years later
· 2 years later
Added to CISA KEV
Known exploited in the wild
- 4 years later
· 4 years later
Record updated
Changes after publication (a new score, a public exploit, EPSS crossing 1, 10 or 50 %, leaving KEV) are kept since November 2026; earlier ones are not known.
Scores
| Scored by | CVSS | Score | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|
| CISA-ADPADP (enrichment) | 3.1 | Critical9.8 | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
| NVDNVD · Analyzed | 3.1 | Critical9.8 | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
- EPSS (exploitation in 30 days)
- 41.6% · top 1.3% of all CVEs (12 Nov 2026)
- CISA SSVC
- Exploitation: active · Automatable: yes · Technical impact: total
The list uses the assigner's score when there is one, then CISA's, then NVD's: Critical 9.8.
Affected products
n/a
- affected n/a
References
References15
- https://lists.exim.org/lurker/message/20190927.032457.c1044d4c.en.html (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_MISCx_transferred
- https://bugs.exim.org/show_bug.cgi?id=2449 (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_MISCx_transferred
- https://git.exim.org/exim.git/commit/478effbfd9c3cc5a627fc671d4bf94d13670d65f (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_MISCx_transferred
- [oss-security] 20190928 Exim CVE-2019-16928 RCE using a heap-based buffer overflow (opens in a new tab)mailing-listx_refsource_MLISTx_transferred
- [oss-security] 20190928 Re: Exim CVE-2019-16928 RCE using a heap-based buffer overflow (opens in a new tab)mailing-listx_refsource_MLISTx_transferred
- [oss-security] 20190928 Re: Exim CVE-2019-16928 RCE using a heap-based buffer overflow (opens in a new tab)mailing-listx_refsource_MLISTx_transferred
- DSA-4536 (opens in a new tab)vendor-advisoryx_refsource_DEBIANx_transferred
- USN-4141-1 (opens in a new tab)vendor-advisoryx_refsource_UBUNTUx_transferred
- [oss-security] 20190929 Re: Exim CVE-2019-16928 RCE using a heap-based buffer overflow (opens in a new tab)mailing-listx_refsource_MLISTx_transferred
- 20190929 [SECURITY] [DSA 4536-1] exim4 security update (opens in a new tab)mailing-listx_refsource_BUGTRAQx_transferred
- FEDORA-2019-006dfc94cd (opens in a new tab)vendor-advisoryx_refsource_FEDORAx_transferred
- FEDORA-2019-e080507ba5 (opens in a new tab)vendor-advisoryx_refsource_FEDORAx_transferred
- FEDORA-2019-d778bd4137 (opens in a new tab)vendor-advisoryx_refsource_FEDORAx_transferred
- GLSA-202003-47 (opens in a new tab)vendor-advisoryx_refsource_GENTOOx_transferred
- https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2019-16928 (opens in a new tab)government-resource
Sources
The same CVE in the primary databases and aggregators, to check against.
- CVE.org record (opens in a new tab)
- CVE List JSON (GitHub) (opens in a new tab)
- NVD (opens in a new tab)
- CISA KEV catalog (opens in a new tab)
- FIRST EPSS (opens in a new tab)
- EUVD EUVD-2019-7422 (opens in a new tab)
- OSV.dev (opens in a new tab)
- GitHub Advisories (opens in a new tab)
- CIRCL Vulnerability-Lookup (opens in a new tab)
Badge for a README or a ticket
[](https://cveledger.app/cve/CVE-2019-16928)Record last updated .