CVE-2010-4345 Exim Exim: privilege escalation
In plain words: Something running with limited rights can promote itself to full control. Turns a small foothold (like a malicious app) into administrator or system-level access.
Confirmed exploited by CISA on · US federal patch deadline Apr 15, 2022
What to do
- Install Exim's security update for Exim. If no update exists, follow the vendor's workaround or stop using the product until one ships.
- Keep a list of every internet-facing server you run so nothing is forgotten.
- Patch anything in this catalog first, ahead of normal patch cycles.
- Put admin and file-transfer apps behind a VPN or single sign-on instead of the open internet.
Who is affected
Work IT. Aimed mostly at company systems — you are affected through the companies you use, not your own phone.
What's at risk: Mass data theft and ransomware: a single flaw in a file-transfer or email server has exposed thousands of organisations at once.
The details
- Official name
- Exim Privilege Escalation Vulnerability
- Product
- Exim Exim
- CISA description
- 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.
- Type of flaw
- Privilege escalation (CWE-264)
- Confirmed exploited
- Mar 25, 2022
- US federal patch deadline
- Apr 15, 2022
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Answering about CVE-2010-4345 ·
Questions about CVE-2010-4345
Is CVE-2010-4345 being exploited?
Yes. CISA added CVE-2010-4345 to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on Mar 25, 2022, which means there is reliable evidence of real-world attacks.
How do I fix CVE-2010-4345?
Install Exim's security update for Exim. If no update exists, follow the vendor's workaround or stop using the product until one ships. Keep a list of every internet-facing server you run so nothing is forgotten.
Am I affected by CVE-2010-4345?
Only if you use Exim Exim. Aimed mostly at company systems — you are affected through the companies you use, not your own phone.