CVE-2026-66141: Exim: Exim before 4.99.5 allows .forward privilege escalation because force_command for a pipe t…
Exim before 4.99.5 allows .forward privilege escalation because force_command for a pipe transport is mishandled.
- CVE-2026-66141CVE identifier
- 7.8CVSS 3.1 base score (high)
- 0.1%EPSS: chance of exploitation in the next 30 days (higher than 3% of CVEs)
- 2026-07-24published
What do these terms mean? CVE · CVSS score · exploited (KEV) · EPSS · backported fix · all terms
What to do now
- Check whether you run Exim and which version (commands below).
- Install the fixed version for your system: see “Patch it” below.
- sudo systemctl restart exim4 (Debian/Ubuntu) or exim (others)
Affected and fixed versions
Affected:
- Exim Exim 4.82 to before 4.99.5
Patch it
Use the commands for your system. Distribution packages often keep an older version number with the fix backported, so compare with the fixed package versions in the table below, not only with the upstream version.
Debian
sudo apt update
sudo apt install --only-upgrade exim4-daemon-light (or exim4-daemon-heavy)Ubuntu
sudo apt update
sudo apt install --only-upgrade exim4-daemon-light (or exim4-daemon-heavy)RHEL, AlmaLinux, Rocky, Oracle
sudo dnf upgrade --refresh exim (EPEL)Fedora
sudo dnf upgrade --refresh eximSUSE / openSUSE
sudo zypper refresh
sudo zypper update eximAmazon Linux
not in distro repos: vendor repositoryArch Linux
sudo pacman -SyuAlpine
apk update && apk upgrade eximFreeBSD
pkg update && pkg upgrade eximGeneral update steps for every system are on the Linux and Unix & BSD pages; after updating, see which services to restart.
Fix status in Linux distributions
| Release | Package | Status | Fixed version / advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian 12 | exim4 | not fixed yet | |
| Debian 13 | exim4 | fixed | 4.98.2-1+deb13u4 |
| Debian testing | exim4 | fixed | 4.99.4-2 |
From the Debian security tracker, Ubuntu CVE tracker and Red Hat Security Data API, refreshed every few hours.
Sources
Page generated automatically from official sources on 2026-11-03 18:05 UTC. Always confirm with your vendor's advisory.