Out-of-bounds read in Exim - CVE-2026-40686

 

Out-of-bounds read in Exim - CVE-2026-40686

Published: May 7, 2026


Vulnerability identifier: #VU130456
CSH Severity: Medium
CVSSv4.0: CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:L/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:U/U:Green
CVE-ID: CVE-2026-40686
CWE-ID: CWE-125
Exploitation vector: Remote access
Exploit availability: No public exploit available
Vulnerable software:
Exim
Software vendor:
Exim

Description

The vulnerability allows a remote attacker to disclose sensitive information.

The vulnerability exists due to out-of-bounds read in utf8 operators when processing malformed utf8 in headers with large trailing characters. A remote attacker can supply malformed utf8 header data to disclose sensitive information.

Data leakage may occur if error messages are required for subsequent emails in the current connection and similar malformed headers are present.


Remediation

Install security update from vendor's website.

External links