Exim <4.99.2 UTF-8 OOB Read with large trailing chars
CVE-2026-40686 Published on April 30, 2026
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.
Vulnerability Analysis
CVE-2026-40686 is exploitable with network access, and does not require authorization privileges or user interaction. This vulnerability is consided to have a high level of attack complexity. The potential impact of an exploit of this vulnerability is considered to have a small impact on confidentiality, a small impact on integrity and availability.
Weakness Type
Out-of-bounds Read
The software reads data past the end, or before the beginning, of the intended buffer. Typically, this can allow attackers to read sensitive information from other memory locations or cause a crash. A crash can occur when the code reads a variable amount of data and assumes that a sentinel exists to stop the read operation, such as a NUL in a string. The expected sentinel might not be located in the out-of-bounds memory, causing excessive data to be read, leading to a segmentation fault or a buffer overflow. The software may modify an index or perform pointer arithmetic that references a memory location that is outside of the boundaries of the buffer. A subsequent read operation then produces undefined or unexpected results.
Products Associated with CVE-2026-40686
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Affected Versions
Exim:- Before 4.99.2 is affected.