#VU3119 Remote code injection in PHPMailer - CVE-2016-10045

Vulnerability identifier: #VU3119

Vulnerability risk: High

CVSSv4.0: 9.3 [CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:A/U:Amber]

CVE-ID: CVE-2016-10045

CWE-ID: CWE-94

Exploitation vector: Network

Exploit availability: Yes

Vulnerable software:
PHPMailer
Web applications / Other software

Vendor: phpmailer.sourceforge.net

Description

The vulnerability allows a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code on the target system.

The vulnerability exists in PHPMailer due to insufficient sanitization of user-supplied input, when Sender property is not set. A remote attacker can use backslashed double quote character (e.g. \”) to pass additional commands to original mail command and execute them with privileges of the current web server user.

Successful exploitation of the vulnerability may result in system compromise.

Note: this vulnerability exists due to incorrect fix for vulnerability SB2016122601 (CVE-2016-10033)

Mitigation
Install the latest version 5.2.21 from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

PHPMailer: 5.2.2 - 5.2.17

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External links
https://legalhackers.com/advisories/PHPMailer-Exploit-Remote-Code-Exec-CVE-2016-10045-Vuln-Patch-Byp...

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Q & A

Can this vulnerability be exploited remotely?

Yes. This vulnerability can be exploited by a remote non-authenticated attacker via the Internet.

Is there known malware, which exploits this vulnerability?

No. We are not aware of malware exploiting this vulnerability. However, a fully functional exploit for this vulnerability is available.