CVE-2026-40686
Exim UTF-8 Out-of-Bounds Read Information Disclosure
Description
In Exim before 4.99.2, when utf8 operators are enabled, there is an out-of-bounds read if large UTF-8 trailing characters are present (malformed UTF-8 header data). Information might be divulged within an error message produced during handling of an unrelated e-mail message.
INFO
Published Date :
April 30, 2026, 10:16 p.m.
Last Modified :
April 30, 2026, 10:16 p.m.
Remotely Exploit :
Yes !
Source :
[email protected]
Affected Products
The following products are affected by CVE-2026-40686
vulnerability.
Even if cvefeed.io is aware of the exact versions of the
products
that
are
affected, the information is not represented in the table below.
No affected product recoded yet
CVSS Scores
| Score | Version | Severity | Vector | Exploitability Score | Impact Score | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS 3.1 | LOW | 8254265b-2729-46b6-b9e3-3dfca2d5bfca | ||||
| CVSS 3.1 | LOW | [email protected] | ||||
| CVSS 3.1 | LOW | MITRE-CVE |
Solution
- Update Exim to version 4.99.2 or later.
- Disable utf8 operators if update is not possible.
References to Advisories, Solutions, and Tools
Here, you will find a curated list of external links that provide in-depth
information, practical solutions, and valuable tools related to
CVE-2026-40686.
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration
While CVE identifies
specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or
weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-40686 is
associated with the following CWEs:
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification
(CAPEC)
stores attack patterns, which are descriptions of the common attributes and
approaches employed by adversaries to exploit the CVE-2026-40686
weaknesses.
We scan GitHub repositories to detect new proof-of-concept exploits. Following list is a collection of public exploits and proof-of-concepts, which have been published on GitHub (sorted by the most recently updated).
Results are limited to the first 15 repositories due to potential performance issues.
The following list is the news that have been mention
CVE-2026-40686 vulnerability anywhere in the article.
The following table lists the changes that have been made to the
CVE-2026-40686 vulnerability over time.
Vulnerability history details can be useful for understanding the evolution of a vulnerability, and for identifying the most recent changes that may impact the vulnerability's severity, exploitability, or other characteristics.
-
New CVE Received by [email protected]
Apr. 30, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Description In Exim before 4.99.2, when utf8 operators are enabled, there is an out-of-bounds read if large UTF-8 trailing characters are present (malformed UTF-8 header data). Information might be divulged within an error message produced during handling of an unrelated e-mail message. Added CVSS V3.1 AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N Added CWE CWE-125 Added Reference https://code.exim.org/exim/exim/commit/f2570bde16fb4d4a1242ff363a4c4eecf6372efc Added Reference https://exim.org/static/doc/security/CVE-2025-40686.txt Added Reference https://exim.org/static/doc/security/cve-2026-04.1/CVE2026-40686.assessment Added Reference https://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/04/30/21