CVE & CISA-KEV Catalog

CVE-2023-51766

MEDIUM
5.3
CVSS v3
NVD

Description

Exim before 4.97.1 allows SMTP smuggling in certain PIPELINING/CHUNKING configurations. Remote attackers can use a published exploitation technique to inject e-mail messages with a spoofed MAIL FROM address, allowing bypass of an SPF protection mechanism. This occurs because Exim supports <LF>.<CR><LF> but some other popular e-mail servers do not.

How to fix

Remediation Available
exim4Debian
Fixed in:4.94.2-7+deb11u2CVE-2023-51766
Fixed in:4.96-15+deb12u4CVE-2023-51766
Fixed in:4.97-3CVE-2023-51766
Fixed in:4.97-3CVE-2023-51766
exim4Ubuntu
Fixed in:4.82-3ubuntu2.4+esm9USN-8382-1
Fixed in:4.86.2-2ubuntu2.6+esm6USN-6611-1
Fixed in:4.86.2-2ubuntu2.6+esm9USN-8382-1
Fixed in:4.90.1-1ubuntu1.10+esm3USN-6611-1
Fixed in:4.90.1-1ubuntu1.10+esm6USN-8382-1
Fixed in:4.93-13ubuntu1.12+esm1USN-8382-1
Fixed in:4.93-13ubuntu1.10USN-6611-1
Fixed in:4.95-4ubuntu2.5USN-6611-1
Fixed in:4.96-17ubuntu2.2USN-6611-1
exim4-baseUbuntu
Fixed in:4.82-3ubuntu2.4+esm9USN-8382-1
Fixed in:4.86.2-2ubuntu2.6+esm9USN-8382-1
Fixed in:4.86.2-2ubuntu2.6+esm6USN-6611-1
Fixed in:4.90.1-1ubuntu1.10+esm3USN-6611-1
Fixed in:4.90.1-1ubuntu1.10+esm6USN-8382-1
Fixed in:4.93-13ubuntu1.12+esm1USN-8382-1
Fixed in:4.93-13ubuntu1.10USN-6611-1
Fixed in:4.95-4ubuntu2.5USN-6611-1
Fixed in:4.96-17ubuntu2.2USN-6611-1
exim4-daemon-heavyUbuntu
Fixed in:4.82-3ubuntu2.4+esm9USN-8382-1
Fixed in:4.86.2-2ubuntu2.6+esm9USN-8382-1
Fixed in:4.90.1-1ubuntu1.10+esm6USN-8382-1
Fixed in:4.93-13ubuntu1.12+esm1USN-8382-1
exim4-daemon-lightUbuntu
Fixed in:4.82-3ubuntu2.4+esm9USN-8382-1
Fixed in:4.86.2-2ubuntu2.6+esm9USN-8382-1
Fixed in:4.90.1-1ubuntu1.10+esm6USN-8382-1
Fixed in:4.93-13ubuntu1.12+esm1USN-8382-1
exim4-devUbuntu
Fixed in:4.82-3ubuntu2.4+esm9USN-8382-1
Fixed in:4.86.2-2ubuntu2.6+esm9USN-8382-1
Fixed in:4.90.1-1ubuntu1.10+esm6USN-8382-1
Fixed in:4.93-13ubuntu1.12+esm1USN-8382-1
eximon4Ubuntu
Fixed in:4.82-3ubuntu2.4+esm9USN-8382-1
Fixed in:4.86.2-2ubuntu2.6+esm6USN-6611-1
Fixed in:4.86.2-2ubuntu2.6+esm9USN-8382-1
Fixed in:4.90.1-1ubuntu1.10+esm3USN-6611-1
Fixed in:4.90.1-1ubuntu1.10+esm6USN-8382-1
Fixed in:4.93-13ubuntu1.12+esm1USN-8382-1
Fixed in:4.93-13ubuntu1.10USN-6611-1
Fixed in:4.95-4ubuntu2.5USN-6611-1
Fixed in:4.96-17ubuntu2.2USN-6611-1

TridentStack Control can deploy fixes like this automatically across your Windows, macOS, and Linux fleet. See how it works

Remediation is compiled from vendor and distribution security advisories. Always confirm against the linked source for your exact version and platform.

CVSS v3 Vector

Exploitability

Attack VectorNetwork
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges RequiredNone
User InteractionNone
ScopeUnchanged

Impact

ConfidentialityNone
IntegrityLow
AvailabilityNone

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N

Exploit Intelligence

1.08%probability of exploitation in 30 days
62ndpercentile

Moderate risk: more likely to be exploited than 62% of all known CVEs.

References

Related Vulnerabilities

Other CWE-345 vulnerabilities, ordered by exploit likelihood. View all

CVESeverityCVSSEPSSExploitedFix
CVE-2023-38831High7.898%KEV + RansomFix
CVE-2016-4553High8.680%-Fix
CVE-2016-4554High8.639%-Fix
CVE-2023-35719Medium6.826%--
CVE-2022-26871Critical9.820%KEV-
CVE-2014-4936High9.317%--

Common questions

How do I fix CVE-2023-51766?

Published advisories record a fix for 7 affected products. The "How to fix" section on this page lists the fixed version and source advisory for each one, so apply the entry matching what you actually run.

Is CVE-2023-51766 being actively exploited?

Not that we know of. CVE-2023-51766 is not in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. Its EPSS score of 1.1% is the estimated probability that it will be exploited in the next 30 days. That is higher than 62% of all scored CVEs.

How severe is CVE-2023-51766?

CVE-2023-51766 has a CVSS v3 base score of 5.3, rated medium. CVSS rates the technical impact if the vulnerability is exploited, not how likely that is, so weigh it alongside the exploit-prediction score when you decide what to patch first.

What does CVE-2023-51766 affect?

Published advisories record a fix for exim4 (Debian), exim4 (Ubuntu), exim4-base (Ubuntu), exim4-daemon-heavy (Ubuntu), and 3 more. Only products with a sourced advisory are listed, so treat this as what we can cite rather than a complete inventory.

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This product uses NVD data but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. EPSS scores courtesy of FIRST.org (https://www.first.org/epss). Source: CISA KEV Catalog. Data as of 2025-11-04.