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CVE-2016-10033

The mailSend function in the isMail transport in PHPMailer before 5.2.18 might allow remote attackers to pass extra parameters to the mail command and consequently execute arbitrary code via a \" (backslash double quote) in a crafted Sender property.

CVSS 9.8 (CRITICAL) KEV: KNOWN CATALOG

Attention and evidence

HYPE SCORE
0.0/10
REALITY · THREAT PRIORITY
9.0/10
General review priority; not probability

Evidence confidence: Exploitation recorded

Why this priority?
  • Recorded exploitation baseline: +7.00
  • Technical severity: CVSS 9.8: +1.47
  • Fresh EPSS: 99.71%: +0.50

General review priority, not probability, victim count or asset-specific risk. A range covers missing CVSS/EPSS inputs within the current evidence state.

Sources: 8 documents and public datasets.

Hype components

Headline sample (25%)
0/100
Press, 30 days (60%)
0/100
Grounded branding (15%)
0/100
HYPE TOTAL0/100

Sources and documents

Security Magazine
Press · 14 Jul 2025, 07:00 · 4 Critical, Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Added to KEV Catalog - Security Magazine
Security Affairs
Press · 12 May 2017, 07:00 · UPDATED – Vanilla Forums software is still affected by a critical remote code execution zero-day firs... - Security Affairs
The Hacker News
Press · 12 May 2017, 07:00 · 0-Day Flaws in Vanilla Forums Let Remote Attackers Hack Websites - The Hacker News
TechTarget
Press · 04 May 2017, 07:00 · Why did the PHPMailer library vulnerability have to be patched twice? - TechTarget
TechTarget
Press · 04 May 2017, 07:00 · Why did the PHPMailer library vulnerability have to be patched twice? - TechTarget
See all 8 source documents
Help Net Security
Press · 04 May 2017, 07:00 · WordPress admins, take note: RCE and password reset vulnerabilities revealed - Help Net Security
Security Affairs
Press · 27 Dec 2016, 08:00 · CVE-2016-10033 PHPMailer flaw leaves millions of websites vulnerable - Security Affairs
BleepingComputer
Press · 27 Dec 2016, 08:00 · Millions of Websites Vulnerable Due to Security Bug in Popular PHP Script - BleepingComputer

Score evolution

● Hype   ● Reality

Earlier evidence-support scores are retained in history; this chart shows only the current priority definition.

First record: hype 0.0 · reality 9.0 (2026-11-02 15:12). The curve appears once the score changes.

Public exploit evidence

9

Public exploit entries / repo candidates

See 3 repos with metrics
RepositoryStarsForksLanguageUpdated
Astrowmist/POC-CVE-2016-1003300Python06 Jun 2024, 11:56
Bajunan/CVE-2016-1003300Shell19 May 2017, 12:57
sealldeveloper/CVE-2016-10033-PoC00Python08 Jan 2026, 05:30
Public exploit evidence
Evidence context and dated references

Reality is general threat/review priority, combining observed exploitation, CVSS severity and fresh EPSS. Evidence confidence is separate. This is not calibrated risk, a victim count or an asset-specific assessment. A range reflects missing numeric inputs.

Evidence in context

Confidence in exploitation evidence
Exploitation recorded
Priority basis
Recorded exploitation; CVSS 9.8; EPSS 99.7%
Attention, last 30 days
0 distinct story titles; 0 press documents; 0 publisher domains.
Technical potential
network access, no prior privileges, no user interaction.
Observed activity
Exploitation recorded in CISA KEV.
Known scale
Not quantified.
Evidence confidence basis
Trusted exploitation confirmation

Score evaluated: 2026-11-05 13:57:42.957206+00:00 · EPSS snapshot: 2026-11-05T12:03:04Z

Source event timeline
First press mention
27 Dec 2016, 08:00
Published
30 Dec 2016, 19:00
Added to the CISA KEV catalog
07 Jul 2025, 00:00
Latest press mention
14 Jul 2025, 07:00
Score calculated
05 Nov 2026, 13:57
PoCs on GitHub
9 repositories