CVE-2016-1531

HIGHNVD 7.07.0—Weaponized

7.0

Exim before 4.86.2, when installed setuid root, allows local users to gain privileges via the perl_startup argument.

CVSS v3: 7.0
EG Score: 7.0(medium)
EPSS: 98.2%
KEV: Not listed

Published

April 7, 2016

Last Modified

May 6, 2026

References (20)

cret@certhttp://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2016-03/msg00026.html
cret@certhttp://packetstormsecurity.com/files/136124/Exim-4.84-3-Local-Root-Privilege-Escalation.html
cret@certhttp://www.debian.org/security/2016/dsa-3517
cret@certhttp://www.exim.org/static/doc/CVE-2016-1531.txt
cret@certhttp://www.rapid7.com/db/modules/exploit/unix/local/exim_perl_startup
cret@certhttp://www.securitytracker.com/id/1035512
cret@certhttp://www.ubuntu.com/usn/USN-2933-1
cret@certhttps://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/39535/
cret@certhttps://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/39549/
cret@certhttps://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/39702/
af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2016-03/msg00026.html
af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/136124/Exim-4.84-3-Local-Root-Privilege-Escalation.html
af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108http://www.debian.org/security/2016/dsa-3517
af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108http://www.exim.org/static/doc/CVE-2016-1531.txt
af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108http://www.rapid7.com/db/modules/exploit/unix/local/exim_perl_startup

Patch Availability(1)

Vendor / Ecosystem	Fixed in / Patch	Released	Source
ubuntu	exim4-daemon-light (4.86-3ubuntu1.1) @ wily	2026-05-22	ubuntu

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.

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.

UbuntuUSN-2933-1MEDIUM
Exim vulnerabilities

Data Freshness Timeline

(refreshed 9× in last 7d / 20× 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.

2026-06-08 14:14 UTCEPSS rescore
2026-06-07 15:22 UTCEPSS rescore
2026-06-07 15:22 UTCEPSS rescore
2026-06-06 21:59 UTCOSV refresh
2026-06-05 22:44 UTCEPSS rescore
2026-06-05 06:08 UTCEPSS rescore
2026-06-05 06:08 UTCEPSS rescore
2026-06-04 13:10 UTCEPSS rescore
2026-06-04 13:10 UTCEPSS rescore
2026-06-02 20:10 UTCEPSS rescore
2026-06-01 13:49 UTCEPSS rescore
2026-06-01 13:49 UTCEPSS rescore
2026-05-31 22:28 UTCEPSS rescore
2026-05-31 22:28 UTCEPSS rescore
2026-05-31 00:14 UTCEPSS rescore
2026-05-29 13:41 UTCEPSS rescore
2026-05-28 13:42 UTCEPSS rescore
2026-05-28 13:42 UTCEPSS rescore
2026-05-27 13:38 UTCEPSS rescore
2026-05-27 13:38 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-39702✓ verified
First seen Apr 15, 2016
Exim - 'perl_startup' Local Privilege Escalation (Metasploit)
Open source ↗
Exploit-DBEDB-39549✓ verified
First seen Mar 10, 2016
Exim < 4.86.2 - Local Privilege Escalation
Open source ↗
Metasploitexploit/unix/local/exim_perl_startup✓ verified
First seen Mar 10, 2016
Exim "perl_startup" Privilege Escalation
Open source ↗
Exploit-DBEDB-39535✓ verified
First seen Mar 9, 2016
Exim 4.84-3 - Local Privilege Escalation
Open source ↗

Frequently asked(5)

What is CVE-2016-1531?

CVE-2016-1531 is a high vulnerability published on April 7, 2016. Exim before 4.86.2, when installed setuid root, allows local users to gain privileges via the perl_startup argument.

When was CVE-2016-1531 disclosed?

CVE-2016-1531 was first published in the National Vulnerability Database on April 7, 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-2016-1531 actively exploited?

CVE-2016-1531 is not currently on CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. FIRST EPSS estimates a 98.2% percentile likelihood of exploitation in the next 30 days — higher percentiles indicate greater predicted risk.

What is the CVSS score of CVE-2016-1531?

CVE-2016-1531 has a CVSS v3 base score of 7.0 (NVD).

How do I remediate CVE-2016-1531?

Patch to the fixed version published by the affected vendor. Where vendor advisories exist for CVE-2016-1531, 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

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