CVE-2009-4565
sendmail before 8.14.4 does not properly handle a '\0' character in a Common Name (CN) field of...
CVE-2009-4565 is a high vulnerability (CVSS 7.5) in Sendmail, published January 4, 2010. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 2.40%, the 84th percentile. Fixed in sendmail 8.14.3-9.1.
sendmail before 8.14.4 does not properly handle a '\0' character in a Common Name (CN) field of an X.509 certificate, which (1) allows man-in-the-middle attackers to spoof arbitrary SSL-based SMTP servers via a crafted server certificate issued by a legitimate Certification Authority, and (2) allows remote attackers to bypass intended access restrictions via a crafted client certificate issued by a legitimate Certification Authority, a related issue to CVE-2009-2408.
Exploit likelihood
What each source reports
NVD Score used
7.5
sendmail before 8.14.4 does not properly handle a '\0' character in a Common Name (CN) field of an X.509 certificate, which (1) allows man-in-the-middle attackers to spoof arbitrary SSL-based SMTP servers via a crafted server certificate issued by a legitimate Certification Authority, and (2) allows remote attackers to bypass intended access restrictions via a crafted client certificate issued by a legitimate Certification Authority, a related issue to CVE-2009-2408.
- Record
CVE-2009-4565- CVSS 2.0
- 7.5 High
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P - Weakness
- CWE-310
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
CVE List No score
sendmail before 8.14.4 does not properly handle a '\0' character in a Common Name (CN) field of an X.509 certificate, which (1) allows man-in-the-middle attackers to spoof arbitrary SSL-based SMTP servers via a crafted server certificate issued by a legitimate Certification Authority, and (2) allows remote attackers to bypass intended access restrictions via a crafted client certificate issued by a legitimate Certification Authority, a related issue to CVE-2009-2408.
- Record
CVE-2009-4565- Updated
- 2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2009-4531 No score
sendmail before 8.14.4 does not properly handle a '\0' character in a Common Name (CN) field of an X.509 certificate, which (1) allows man-in-the-middle attackers to spoof arbitrary SSL-based SMTP servers via a crafted server certificate issued by a legitimate Certification Authority, and (2) allows remote attackers to bypass intended access restrictions via a crafted client certificate issued by a legitimate Certification Authority, a related issue to CVE-2009-2408.
- Record
EUVD-2009-4531- Updated
- 2026-11-03
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-g4p5-56vp-vcg5 No score
sendmail before 8.14.4 does not properly handle a '\0' character in a Common Name (CN) field of...
sendmail before 8.14.4 does not properly handle a '\0' character in a Common Name (CN) field of an X.509 certificate, which (1) allows man-in-the-middle attackers to spoof arbitrary SSL-based SMTP servers via a crafted server certificate issued by a legitimate Certification Authority, and (2) allows remote attackers to bypass intended access restrictions via a crafted client certificate issued by a legitimate Certification Authority, a related issue to CVE-2009-2408.
- Record
GHSA-g4p5-56vp-vcg5- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSV No score
sendmail before 8.14.4 does not properly handle a '\0' character in a Common Name (CN) field of an X.509 certificate, which (1) allows man-in-the-middle attackers to spoof arbitrary SSL-based SMTP servers via a crafted server certificate issued by a legitimate Certification Authority, and (2) allows remote attackers to bypass intended access restrictions via a crafted client certificate issued by a legitimate Certification Authority, a related issue to CVE-2009-2408.
- Record
CVE-2009-4565- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVDEBIAN-CVE-2009-4565 No score
sendmail before 8.14.4 does not properly handle a '\0' character in a Common Name (CN) field of an X.509 certificate, which (1) allows man-in-the-middle attackers to spoof arbitrary SSL-based SMTP servers via a crafted server certificate issued by a legitimate Certification Authority, and (2) allows remote attackers to bypass intended access restrictions via a crafted client certificate issued by a legitimate Certification Authority, a related issue to CVE-2009-2408.
- Record
DEBIAN-CVE-2009-4565- Updated
- 2026-11-02
Affected products
Affected packages
| Package | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|
sendmailDebian:12 |
before 8.14.3-9.1 | 8.14.3-9.1 |
sendmailDebian:13 |
before 8.14.3-9.1 | 8.14.3-9.1 |
sendmailDebian:14 |
before 8.14.3-9.1 | 8.14.3-9.1 |
sendmailDebian:4.0 |
before 8.13.8-3+etch1, plus listed versions 8.13.8-3 |
8.13.8-3+etch1 |
sendmailDebian:5.0 |
before 8.14.3-5+lenny1, plus listed versions 8.14.3-5 |
8.14.3-5+lenny1 |
sendmailRed Hat:enterprise_linux:5::client_workstation |
before 0:8.13.8-8.el5 | 0:8.13.8-8.el5 |
sendmail-debuginfoRed Hat:enterprise_linux:5::client_workstation |
before 0:8.13.8-8.el5 | 0:8.13.8-8.el5 |
sendmail-develRed Hat:enterprise_linux:5::client_workstation |
before 0:8.13.8-8.el5 | 0:8.13.8-8.el5 |
sendmailRed Hat:enterprise_linux:5::client |
before 0:8.13.8-8.el5 | 0:8.13.8-8.el5 |
sendmail-cfRed Hat:enterprise_linux:5::client |
before 0:8.13.8-8.el5 | 0:8.13.8-8.el5 |
Show 27 moreShow less
| Package | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|
sendmail-debuginfoRed Hat:enterprise_linux:5::client |
before 0:8.13.8-8.el5 | 0:8.13.8-8.el5 |
sendmail-docRed Hat:enterprise_linux:5::client |
before 0:8.13.8-8.el5 | 0:8.13.8-8.el5 |
sendmailRed Hat:enterprise_linux:5::server |
before 0:8.13.8-8.el5 | 0:8.13.8-8.el5 |
sendmail-cfRed Hat:enterprise_linux:5::server |
before 0:8.13.8-8.el5 | 0:8.13.8-8.el5 |
sendmail-debuginfoRed Hat:enterprise_linux:5::server |
before 0:8.13.8-8.el5 | 0:8.13.8-8.el5 |
sendmail-develRed Hat:enterprise_linux:5::server |
before 0:8.13.8-8.el5 | 0:8.13.8-8.el5 |
sendmail-docRed Hat:enterprise_linux:5::server |
before 0:8.13.8-8.el5 | 0:8.13.8-8.el5 |
sendmailRed Hat:enterprise_linux:4::as |
before 0:8.13.1-6.el4 | 0:8.13.1-6.el4 |
sendmail-cfRed Hat:enterprise_linux:4::as |
before 0:8.13.1-6.el4 | 0:8.13.1-6.el4 |
sendmail-debuginfoRed Hat:enterprise_linux:4::as |
before 0:8.13.1-6.el4 | 0:8.13.1-6.el4 |
sendmail-develRed Hat:enterprise_linux:4::as |
before 0:8.13.1-6.el4 | 0:8.13.1-6.el4 |
sendmail-docRed Hat:enterprise_linux:4::as |
before 0:8.13.1-6.el4 | 0:8.13.1-6.el4 |
sendmailRed Hat:enterprise_linux:4::desktop |
before 0:8.13.1-6.el4 | 0:8.13.1-6.el4 |
sendmail-cfRed Hat:enterprise_linux:4::desktop |
before 0:8.13.1-6.el4 | 0:8.13.1-6.el4 |
sendmail-debuginfoRed Hat:enterprise_linux:4::desktop |
before 0:8.13.1-6.el4 | 0:8.13.1-6.el4 |
sendmail-develRed Hat:enterprise_linux:4::desktop |
before 0:8.13.1-6.el4 | 0:8.13.1-6.el4 |
sendmail-docRed Hat:enterprise_linux:4::desktop |
before 0:8.13.1-6.el4 | 0:8.13.1-6.el4 |
sendmailRed Hat:enterprise_linux:4::es |
before 0:8.13.1-6.el4 | 0:8.13.1-6.el4 |
sendmail-cfRed Hat:enterprise_linux:4::es |
before 0:8.13.1-6.el4 | 0:8.13.1-6.el4 |
sendmail-debuginfoRed Hat:enterprise_linux:4::es |
before 0:8.13.1-6.el4 | 0:8.13.1-6.el4 |
sendmail-develRed Hat:enterprise_linux:4::es |
before 0:8.13.1-6.el4 | 0:8.13.1-6.el4 |
sendmail-docRed Hat:enterprise_linux:4::es |
before 0:8.13.1-6.el4 | 0:8.13.1-6.el4 |
sendmailRed Hat:enterprise_linux:4::ws |
before 0:8.13.1-6.el4 | 0:8.13.1-6.el4 |
sendmail-cfRed Hat:enterprise_linux:4::ws |
before 0:8.13.1-6.el4 | 0:8.13.1-6.el4 |
sendmail-debuginfoRed Hat:enterprise_linux:4::ws |
before 0:8.13.1-6.el4 | 0:8.13.1-6.el4 |
sendmail-develRed Hat:enterprise_linux:4::ws |
before 0:8.13.1-6.el4 | 0:8.13.1-6.el4 |
sendmail-docRed Hat:enterprise_linux:4::ws |
before 0:8.13.1-6.el4 | 0:8.13.1-6.el4 |
History
| When | Changed | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-11-03 | aliases | EUVD |
| 2026-11-02 | created | CVE List, GitHub Advisories, NVD, OSV |
References
secunia.com/advisories/38314
security.gentoo.org/glsa/glsa-201206-30.xml
sunsolve.sun.com/search/document.do?assetkey=1-77-1021797.1-1
secunia.com/advisories/39088
vupen.com/english/advisories/2009/3661
secunia.com/advisories/37998
Show 36 moreShow less
securityfocus.com/bid/37543
vupen.com/english/advisories/2011/0415
secunia.com/advisories/43366
lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2010-03/msg00004.html
oval.cisecurity.org/repository/search/definition/oval%3Aorg.mitre.oval%3Adef%3A10255
sendmail.org/releases/8.14.4
marc.info?l=bugtraq&m=126953289726317&w=2
vupen.com/english/advisories/2010/0719
redhat.com/support/errata/RHSA-2011-0262.html
debian.org/security/2010/dsa-1985
oval.cisecurity.org/repository/search/definition/oval%3Aorg.mitre.oval%3Adef%3A11822
secunia.com/advisories/40109
secunia.com/advisories/38915
vupen.com/english/advisories/2010/1386
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2009-4565
github.com/advisories/GHSA-g4p5-56vp-vcg5
security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2009-4565
access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2010:0237
access.redhat.com/security/updates/classification
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=238540
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=244012
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=250552
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=440616
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=449391
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=494408
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=552622
security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/advisories/2010/rhsa-2010_0237.json
access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2006-7176
cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2006-7176
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2006-7176
access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2009-4565
cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2009-4565
access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2011:0262
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=434645
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=485380
security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/advisories/2011/rhsa-2011_0262.json