CVE-2016-10045

CRITICALNVD 9.89.8
EchelonGraph scoreLOW confidence

This critical-severity CVE scores 9.8 under NVD CVSS v3. EPSS exploit probability: 98.0%, top 0% of all CVEs by exploit prediction. GitHub Security Advisory data not yet ingested — confidence will rise once GHSA publishes (typical lag: hours to days for open-source ecosystem CVEs; never for infrastructure-only CVEs).

Triggered by: NVD CVSS baseline
Sources: epss, nvd
Weaponized
9.8
EchelonGraph verdictPatch this weekExploitation is likely or a public exploit exists.
  • 128 internet-exposed hosts are running an affected version right now
  • High exploitation likelihood — EPSS 98%
CISA-KEV: Not listedEPSS: 98%CVSS: 9.8Exploit: NoneExposed: 128

A fix is available — apply it.

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.

Live · internet exposure

128 internet-exposed hosts are running an affected version of CVE-2016-10045 right now.

across 24 countries (United States, Germany, Singapore, United Kingdom, Netherlands)top: wordpress
See the live KEV-Exposure radar →Found passively from public internet-scan data — aggregate, host-redacted.

EchelonGraph is the only CVE feed that fuses live vulnerability intelligence with its own live internet-exposure radar — so you see not just that a CVE is exploited, but how much of the internet is exposed to it right now.

CVSS v3
9.8
EG Score
9.8(low)
EG Risk
88(Track*)
EG Risk 88/100SSVC: Track*

EG Risk is EchelonGraph's 0–100 priority score: it fuses intrinsic severity with real-world exploitation and automatability so you can rank equal-severity CVEs and fix the most dangerous first. Higher = act sooner. Distinct from the 0–10 EG Score (severity).

How it’s computed
Severity98% × 45%
Exploitation98% × 40%
Automatability30% × 15%
Action: Watch closely — could escalate to Attend.
EPSS
99.9%
KEV
Not listed

Published

December 30, 2016

Last Modified

May 6, 2026

Advisory Details (9)

Auto-updated May 9, 2026
Patch available.
generic

Release PHPMailer 5.2.20 · PHPMailer/PHPMailer · GitHub

https://github.com/PHPMailer/PHPMailer/releases/tag/v5.2.20
generic

[20161205] - PHPMailer Security Advisory

https://developer.joomla.org/security-centre/668-20161205-phpmailer-security-advisory.html
generic
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/95130
generic
http://www.securityfocus.com/archive/1/539967/100/0/threaded
generic

Rapid7 Vulnerability Database

http://www.rapid7.com/db/modules/exploit/multi/http/phpmailer_arg_injection
generic Patch Available

Full Disclosure: PHPMailer < 5.2.20 Remote Code Execution PoC 0day Exploit (CVE-2016-10045) (Bypass of the CVE-2016-1033 patch)

http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2016/Dec/81
generic

Packet Storm

http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/140350/PHPMailer-Sendmail-Argument-Injection.html
generic

Packet Storm

http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/140286/PHPMailer-Remote-Code-Execution.html
generic

oss-security - Re: PHPMailer < 5.2.18 Remote Code Execution [updated advisory] [CVE-2016-10033]

http://openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2016/12/28/1

Patch Availability(1)

Vendor / EcosystemFixed in / PatchReleasedSource
ubuntulibphp-phpmailer (6.0.6-0.1ubuntu0.1~esm1) @ focal2026-05-20ubuntu

Patches are aggregated from vendor advisories (Red Hat, Microsoft, Cisco, GitHub) and package ecosystems (OSV, GHSA). Multiple rows for the same upstream release have been deduplicated.

Affected Packages

(1 across 1 ecosystem)
Packagist(1)
PackageVulnerable rangeFixed inDependents
phpmailer/phpmailerv5.2.10 ... v5.2.9 (17 versions)5.2.20—

All Vendor Advisories

(1)

Every vendor that published an advisory referencing this CVE — pulled from our cve_vendor_advisories aggregation. Click any row for the vendor's original advisory page.

Data Freshness Timeline

(refreshed 4× in last 7d / 12× in last 30d)

Each row is a source pipeline that fetched or updated this CVE on that date, with what changed. For example, "NVD update" means NVD published or revised its analysis for this CVE; "MITRE cvelistV5" means we ingested or refreshed it from the CNA feed. Most recent first.

  1. 2026-07-24 14:13 UTCEPSS rescore
  2. 2026-07-23 01:21 UTCEG score recompute
  3. 2026-07-23 00:22 UTCEG score recompute
  4. 2026-07-22 22:00 UTCEG score recompute
  5. 2026-07-15 16:54 UTCEPSS rescore
  6. 2026-07-15 16:54 UTCEPSS rescore
  7. 2026-07-09 19:05 UTCEPSS rescore
  8. 2026-07-09 19:05 UTCEPSS rescore
  9. 2026-07-08 10:05 UTCOSV refresh
  10. 2026-07-07 13:42 UTCEPSS rescore
  11. 2026-07-07 13:42 UTCEPSS rescore
  12. 2026-07-04 06:28 UTCEPSS rescore
  13. 2026-06-19 22:06 UTCOSV refresh
  14. 2026-06-15 17:45 UTCEPSS rescore
  15. 2026-06-12 23:09 UTCEPSS rescore
  16. 2026-06-12 23:09 UTCEPSS rescore
  17. 2026-06-06 13:45 UTCEPSS rescore
  18. 2026-06-05 06:08 UTCEPSS rescore
  19. 2026-06-05 06:08 UTCEPSS rescore
  20. 2026-06-02 20:10 UTCEPSS rescore
  21. 2026-05-31 01:25 UTCOSV refresh
  22. 2026-05-27 13:38 UTCEPSS rescore
  23. 2026-05-27 13:38 UTCEPSS rescore
  24. 2026-05-26 07:16 UTCEPSS rescore
  25. 2026-05-26 07:16 UTCEPSS rescore
Show 15 more
  1. 2026-05-22 21:15 UTCEPSS rescore
  2. 2026-05-21 22:40 UTCEPSS rescore
  3. 2026-05-20 10:17 UTCVendor advisory
  4. 2026-05-20 06:39 UTCVendor advisory
  5. 2026-05-20 03:01 UTCVendor advisory
  6. 2026-05-19 23:23 UTCVendor advisory
  7. 2026-05-19 19:44 UTCVendor advisory
  8. 2026-05-19 16:06 UTCVendor advisory
  9. 2026-05-19 12:22 UTCVendor advisory
  10. 2026-05-19 07:56 UTCVendor advisory
  11. 2026-05-19 04:18 UTCVendor advisory
  12. 2026-05-19 00:37 UTCEG score recompute
  13. 2026-05-19 00:37 UTCVendor advisory
  14. 2026-05-18 21:30 UTCEPSS rescore
  15. 2026-05-18 21:30 UTCEPSS rescore

Publicly available exploits

(4 references)

Working exploit code is in the public domain (1 Metasploit module) (3 Exploit-DB entries). Defenders should treat patch urgency accordingly — public PoCs typically lead to mass-exploitation within 24-72 hours.

  • Exploit-DBEDB-42221
    First seen Jun 21, 2017

    PHPMailer < 5.2.20 with Exim MTA - Remote Code Execution

    Open source ↗
  • Exploit-DBEDB-40986
    First seen Jan 2, 2017

    PHPMailer < 5.2.20 / SwiftMailer < 5.4.5-DEV / Zend Framework / zend-mail < 2.4.11 - 'AIO' 'PwnScriptum' Remote Code Execution

    Open source ↗
  • Exploit-DBEDB-40969
    First seen Dec 27, 2016

    PHPMailer < 5.2.20 - Remote Code Execution

    Open source ↗
  • Metasploitexploit/multi/http/phpmailer_arg_injection✓ verified
    First seen Dec 26, 2016

    PHPMailer Sendmail Argument Injection

    Open source ↗

Frequently asked(5)

What is CVE-2016-10045?
CVE-2016-10045 is a critical vulnerability published on December 30, 2016. 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:…
When was CVE-2016-10045 disclosed?
CVE-2016-10045 was first published in the National Vulnerability Database on December 30, 2016, with the most recent update on May 6, 2026. EchelonGraph re-ingests CVE updates from NVD on a 2-hour cycle, so this page reflects the latest published state.
Is CVE-2016-10045 actively exploited?
CVE-2016-10045 is not currently on CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. FIRST EPSS estimates a 99.9% percentile likelihood of exploitation in the next 30 days — higher percentiles indicate greater predicted risk.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2016-10045?
CVE-2016-10045 has a CVSS v3 base score of 9.8 (NVD). The EG score is currently aggregating — additional source signals are being incorporated as they become available..
How do I remediate CVE-2016-10045?
Patch to the fixed version published by the affected vendor. Where vendor advisories exist for CVE-2016-10045, EchelonGraph cross-links them in the Vendor Advisories panel below — those typically contain the canonical remediation steps, fixed version numbers, and any vendor-specific mitigations.

Dependency Blast Radius

See which npm, PyPI, Go, and Maven packages are affected by CVE-2016-10045

Explore →

Is Your Infrastructure Affected by CVE-2016-10045?

EchelonGraph automatically scans your cloud infrastructure and maps CVE exposure using blast radius analysis.

Start Free Scan →Browse All CVEs