vciy

CVE-2016-10045

INDEX BUILT · 2026-09-20

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The isMail transport in PHPMailer before 5.2.20 might allow remote attackers to pass extra parameters to the mail command and consequently execute…

CVE-2016-100453 of 4 sources documented this
54

rank 54 = 24 + 25 + 0 + 5 + 0

rank@v1 · this cycle

Someone is already using it

CISA KEV catalog · public proof-of-concept · FIRST EPSS

EPSS 0.97738  ·  without this subject the record ranks 30

What it costs you if it fires

NVD CVSS base score, then the CNA's own

CVSS 9.8, from NVD  ·  without this subject the record ranks 29

It is getting worse, not staying still

FIRST EPSS series, rescorings and bad loads removed

no persisting rise in 365 days  ·  without this subject the record ranks 54

How much of the world it touches

NVD CPE configurations

3 products in the CPE ranges  ·  without this subject the record ranks 49

Someone else already set the date

CISA KEV remediation due date

no CISA due date  ·  without this subject the record ranks 54

Unaudited dollar value2 of 3 inputs carry a receipt
Exposure$4.88Mover the next 30 days, if this record is yours
Movement-$377,000on 2024-12-17, the last material move, 1 year, 9 months before this reading
Basisassumeda published average, not your estate

$4.88M = $4.99M incident cost x 1 exposure x 0.97738 likelihood

udv@v1 · unaudited · wrong for you until you say what you run

$4.99M is the cost of a breach that happened, from IBM Cost of a Data Breach Report 2026, global average. It is not the value of any asset of yours. That average already covers breaches of every severity, so scaling it by exposure understates a partial-impact record. That is an assumption, not a measurement. Your own asset value goes in the decision record.

Hindsight · the state

0.97738EPSSNOT IN KEVas of 2026-09-20
Severity9.8 CRITICALreceipt
Harmtotal loss · unauthenticatedreceipt
Exploitationnone in held sources
Defenseunaffected versions publishedreceipt
Movementsteadyreceipt
PLATEAU10Minimal movement since 2023-03-07, 1290 days at 0.98, as of 2026-09-17. arc-rules@v1

Foresight · where to check next

CVE-2024-55956QNAP Systems Inc.BeyondTrustSophos WebAria OperationsCVE-2016-2001710045

This record is one instance of CWE-77, improper neutralization of special elements used in a command ('command injection'). The index holds 3852 prior instances of this class, 37 KEV-listed. The nearest of its KEV-listed records are drawn beside this. taxonomy@v1

Full pattern panel

Prior records in this weakness class. Each is its own record, dated and receipted.
Color is a claim, not decoration:the hostile worldthe defenseno signalspoke length is how much of the record matches, not how bad it is

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Harm, if it fires from the vector and the weakness

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Reachnetwork-reachable · no privileges required · no user interaction · low attack complexityreceipt
ImpactComplete confidentiality, integrity and availability lossreceipt
Scored fromCVSS v3.1 · NVD's vectorreceipt
Weakness classCWE-77 Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in a Command ('Command Injection')receipt
Published consequencesCWE-77: Integrity, Confidentiality, Availability: Execute Unauthorized Code or Commands[email protected]

CISA KEV & Federal Remediation Deadline from the record and CISA

The fix, and how long it's been waiting.

First unaffected version, by branchproject phpmailer 5.2.20receipt
Patch available sinceNo dated patch-availability record in held sources. The index holds reference URLs without dates and only the current revision of the CVE record, so the day a fix first existed cannot be derived. Only the versions it landed in.

Exploit Status & Known PoCs a ladder, not a score

Current rung: Nothing observed in held sources.

  • RUNG 1Nothing observed in held sources
  • RUNG 2Proof-of-concept published
  • RUNG 3Exploited in the wild · CISA KEV listed
  • RUNG 4Ransomware campaign use known

Authority who says so

CVSS, NVD9.8 CRITICALreceipt
Exploit probability0.97738 · top 0.10% of all CVEsreceipt
Blast breadth3 products across 3 vendorsderived
Assigned bymitrereceipt
Recorded changes54 · last 19 Sep 2026derived

Affected & Fixed Versions as published

Named in the CPE rangesPhpmailer project phpmailer; Wordpress; Joomla\!receipt
Published rangesphpmailer project phpmailer < 5.2.20; wordpress <= 4.7; joomla\! >= 1.5.0 <= 3.6.5receipt

A rung lights from a row in the index, never from an assessment. "Held sources" is the true scope of the claim: this index reads the CVE record, NVD, CISA KEV, FIRST's EPSS and public proof-of-concept repositories, and it does not observe attacks.

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What it is stated by the CNA

The isMail transport in PHPMailer before 5.2.20 might allow remote attackers to pass extra parameters to the mail command and consequently execute arbitrary code by leveraging improper interaction between the escapeshellarg function and internal escaping performed in the mail function in PHP. NOTE: this vulnerability exists because of an incorrect fix for CVE-2016-10033. receipt

NVD's analysis a second authority

severity
9.8 CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
weakness
CWE-77
affected versions
phpmailer project phpmailer < 5.2.20; wordpress <= 4.7; joomla\! >= 1.5.0 <= 3.6.5

check it yourself packetstormsecurity.com packetstormsecurity.com exploit-db.com exploit-db.com securityfocus.com openwall.com +9 morereceipt

Dated events

2023-03-07EPSS moved 0.85 to 0.972024-12-17EPSS moved 0.97 to 0.892025-03-17EPSS moved 0.89 to 0.94

Movement the material steps

4 Feb 20220.84546
7 Mar 20230.96758 · crossed 0.90 · scoring model v2023.03.01
17 Dec 20240.89178 · crossed 0.90
17 Mar 20250.93791 · crossed 0.90 · scoring model v2025.03.14
15 Jun 20260.98038 · scoring model v2026.06.15
17 Sep 20260.97738
Show all 54 observations
4 Feb 20220.84546
7 Mar 20230.96758
17 May 20230.96719
3 Aug 20230.96686
19 Sep 20240.96725
17 Dec 20240.89178
17 Mar 20250.93791
29 Mar 20250.93949
30 Mar 20250.93791
21 Apr 20250.93713
1 May 20250.92981
4 May 20250.93713
1 Jun 20250.92981
4 Jun 20250.93713
15 Jun 20250.93786
1 Jul 20250.93531
4 Jul 20250.93786
12 Jul 20250.93812
27 Jul 20250.93761
28 Jul 20250.93733
30 Jul 20250.93505
1 Aug 20250.93265
4 Aug 20250.93505
31 Aug 20250.93525
1 Sep 20250.93289
2 Sep 20250.93331
4 Sep 20250.93559
1 Oct 20250.93384
4 Oct 20250.93602
14 Oct 20250.93663
27 Oct 20250.93622
28 Oct 20250.93663
1 Nov 20250.93458
4 Nov 20250.93663
1 Dec 20250.93458
3 Dec 20250.9366
4 Dec 20250.93555
5 Dec 20250.93535
27 Dec 20250.93489
28 Dec 20250.93535
1 Jan 20260.93643
4 Jan 20260.93535
1 Feb 20260.93643
4 Feb 20260.93535
1 Mar 20260.93643
4 Mar 20260.93535
18 Mar 20260.93368
22 May 20260.93327
27 May 20260.93449
2 Jun 20260.93108
15 Jun 20260.98038
15 Aug 20260.97738
17 Aug 20260.9758
17 Sep 20260.97738

54 observations held. A highlighted step crossed a promotion threshold. A step marked with a scoring model moved because the instrument was replaced, not because the vulnerability changed. receipt

The full biography

EPSS 0.97738Published2016-12-30Index as of2026-09-17

The record had been public for 9 years, 8 months when this index was last written.

Published 2016-12-30 receipt · Index as of 2026-09-17 derived

The pattern, elsewhere

This record is one instance of CWE-77, improper neutralization of special elements used in a command ('command injection'). The index holds 3852 prior instances of this class, 37 KEV-listed. The nearest of its KEV-listed records are drawn beside this. [email protected]

CVE-2024-55956matches 8 of 8KEV listed · 2024receipt
CVE-2018-19949 · QNAP Systems Inc. QTSmatches 8 of 8KEV listed · 2020receipt
CVE-2024-12356 · BeyondTrust Remote Supportmatches 8 of 8KEV listed · 2024receipt
CVE-2023-1671 · Sophos Web Appliancematches 8 of 8KEV listed · 2023receipt
CVE-2023-20887 · Aria Operations for Networks (Formerly…matches 8 of 8KEV listed · 2023receipt
CVE-2016-20017matches 8 of 8KEV listed · 2022receipt

"Matches n of m" counts the attributes the two records can both be compared on: the CVSS metrics they share a version of, any weakness class beyond this one, and the vendor. fit-rules@v1

3852 records in this class held. The six above are drawn from the ones CISA has listed as exploited, ranked by how much of the record matches this one. That is why every one of them is KEV-listed: the pool is, so the colour on those spokes says nothing the pool has not already said.

No curated product neighbourhood is held for this product, so the records above are the nearest this index can name. The neighbourhood table covers a small set of products and is extended by hand.

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