CVE-2010-4345

Exim 4.72 and earlier allows local users to gain privileges by leveraging the ability of the exim...

7.8 HighIn KEVPublic exploitFix available

Exim 4.72 and earlier allows local users to gain privileges by leveraging the ability of the exim user account to specify an alternate configuration file with a directive that contains arbitrary commands, as demonstrated by the spool_directory directive.

Attack profile

How easy it is to exploit

Attack vector: Local
Complexity: Low
Privileges needed: Low
User interaction: None

What an attacker can affect

Confidentiality: High
Integrity: High
Availability: High

Exploit likelihood

18.0%Up 16.4 points since Feb 4, 2022

What each source reports

NVD Score used 7.8

Record: CVE-2010-4345
CVSS 3.1: 7.8 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CVSS 2.0: 6.9 MediumAV:L/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C
Weakness: CWE-77
Updated: 2026-11-02

CVE List 7.8

Record: CVE-2010-4345
CVSS 3.1: 7.8 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Weakness: CWE-77
Updated: 2026-11-02

EUVDEUVD-2010-4314 7.8

Record: EUVD-2010-4314
CVSS 3.1: 7.8 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Updated: 2026-11-02

GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-qq6c-p3fx-6qcx 7.8

Exim 4.72 and earlier allows local users to gain privileges by leveraging the ability of the exim...

Record: GHSA-qq6c-p3fx-6qcx
CVSS 3.1: 7.8 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Weakness: CWE-77
Updated: 2026-11-02

CISA KEV No score

Exim Privilege Escalation Vulnerability

Exim allows local users to gain privileges by leveraging the ability of the exim user account to specify an alternate configuration file with a directive that contains arbitrary commands.

Record: CVE-2010-4345
Weakness: CWE-264
Updated: 2026-11-02

OSV 7.8

Record: CVE-2010-4345
CVSS 3.1: 7.8 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Updated: 2026-11-02

OSVDEBIAN-CVE-2010-4345 7.8

Record: DEBIAN-CVE-2010-4345
CVSS 3.1: 7.8 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Updated: 2026-11-02

OSVopenSUSE-SU-2024:10017-1 No score

exim-4.86.2-2.2 on GA media

These are all security issues fixed in the exim-4.86.2-2.2 package on the GA media of openSUSE Tumbleweed.

Record: openSUSE-SU-2024:10017-1
Updated: 2026-11-02

Affected products

Affected packages

Affected packages
Package	Affected	Fixed
`exim4` Debian:12	before 4.72-3	4.72-3
`exim4` Debian:13	before 4.72-3	4.72-3
`exim4` Debian:14	before 4.72-3	4.72-3
`exim4` Debian:5.0	before 4.69-9+lenny3, plus listed versions 4.69-94.69-9+lenny1	4.69-9+lenny3
`exim` Red Hat:enterprise_linux:4::as	before 0:4.43-1.RHEL4.5.el4_8.3	0:4.43-1.RHEL4.5.el4_8.3
`exim-debuginfo` Red Hat:enterprise_linux:4::as	before 0:4.43-1.RHEL4.5.el4_8.3	0:4.43-1.RHEL4.5.el4_8.3
`exim-doc` Red Hat:enterprise_linux:4::as	before 0:4.43-1.RHEL4.5.el4_8.3	0:4.43-1.RHEL4.5.el4_8.3
`exim-mon` Red Hat:enterprise_linux:4::as	before 0:4.43-1.RHEL4.5.el4_8.3	0:4.43-1.RHEL4.5.el4_8.3
`exim-sa` Red Hat:enterprise_linux:4::as	before 0:4.43-1.RHEL4.5.el4_8.3	0:4.43-1.RHEL4.5.el4_8.3
`exim` Red Hat:enterprise_linux:4::desktop	before 0:4.43-1.RHEL4.5.el4_8.3	0:4.43-1.RHEL4.5.el4_8.3

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Affected packages
Package	Affected	Fixed
`exim-debuginfo` Red Hat:enterprise_linux:4::desktop	before 0:4.43-1.RHEL4.5.el4_8.3	0:4.43-1.RHEL4.5.el4_8.3
`exim-doc` Red Hat:enterprise_linux:4::desktop	before 0:4.43-1.RHEL4.5.el4_8.3	0:4.43-1.RHEL4.5.el4_8.3
`exim-mon` Red Hat:enterprise_linux:4::desktop	before 0:4.43-1.RHEL4.5.el4_8.3	0:4.43-1.RHEL4.5.el4_8.3
`exim-sa` Red Hat:enterprise_linux:4::desktop	before 0:4.43-1.RHEL4.5.el4_8.3	0:4.43-1.RHEL4.5.el4_8.3
`exim` Red Hat:enterprise_linux:4::es	before 0:4.43-1.RHEL4.5.el4_8.3	0:4.43-1.RHEL4.5.el4_8.3
`exim-debuginfo` Red Hat:enterprise_linux:4::es	before 0:4.43-1.RHEL4.5.el4_8.3	0:4.43-1.RHEL4.5.el4_8.3
`exim-doc` Red Hat:enterprise_linux:4::es	before 0:4.43-1.RHEL4.5.el4_8.3	0:4.43-1.RHEL4.5.el4_8.3
`exim-mon` Red Hat:enterprise_linux:4::es	before 0:4.43-1.RHEL4.5.el4_8.3	0:4.43-1.RHEL4.5.el4_8.3
`exim-sa` Red Hat:enterprise_linux:4::es	before 0:4.43-1.RHEL4.5.el4_8.3	0:4.43-1.RHEL4.5.el4_8.3
`exim` Red Hat:enterprise_linux:4::ws	before 0:4.43-1.RHEL4.5.el4_8.3	0:4.43-1.RHEL4.5.el4_8.3
`exim-debuginfo` Red Hat:enterprise_linux:4::ws	before 0:4.43-1.RHEL4.5.el4_8.3	0:4.43-1.RHEL4.5.el4_8.3
`exim-doc` Red Hat:enterprise_linux:4::ws	before 0:4.43-1.RHEL4.5.el4_8.3	0:4.43-1.RHEL4.5.el4_8.3
`exim-mon` Red Hat:enterprise_linux:4::ws	before 0:4.43-1.RHEL4.5.el4_8.3	0:4.43-1.RHEL4.5.el4_8.3
`exim-sa` Red Hat:enterprise_linux:4::ws	before 0:4.43-1.RHEL4.5.el4_8.3	0:4.43-1.RHEL4.5.el4_8.3
`exim` Red Hat:enterprise_linux:5::server	before 0:4.63-5.el5_6.2	0:4.63-5.el5_6.2
`exim-debuginfo` Red Hat:enterprise_linux:5::server	before 0:4.63-5.el5_6.2	0:4.63-5.el5_6.2
`exim-mon` Red Hat:enterprise_linux:5::server	before 0:4.63-5.el5_6.2	0:4.63-5.el5_6.2
`exim-sa` Red Hat:enterprise_linux:5::server	before 0:4.63-5.el5_6.2	0:4.63-5.el5_6.2
`exim` openSUSE:Tumbleweed	before 4.86.2-2.2	4.86.2-2.2

Public exploits

Links only. Every CVE stores no exploit code.

Public exploits
Source	Link	Date
Metasploit	Exim4 string_format Function Heap Buffer Overflow	2010-12-07
Exploit-DB	Exim4 < 4.69 - string_format Function Heap Buffer Overflow (Metasploit)	2010-12-16

History

History
Recorded	Changed	Sources
Nov 3, 2026	exploitation, exploits
Nov 2, 2026	first indexed	CVE List, EUVD, Exploit-DB, GitHub Advisories, CISA KEV, Metasploit, NVD, OSV

Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.

In short

CVE-2010-4345 is a high vulnerability (CVSS 7.8) in Exim, published December 14, 2010. CISA lists it as known to be exploited, since March 25, 2022. EUVD reports exploitation since March 25, 2022. Public exploit code exists. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 18.0%, the 97th percentile. Fixed in exim4 4.72-3.

References

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