What is the CVSS score of CVE-2016-10033?

CVE-2016-10033 has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 9.8 (Critical). CVSS vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H. EPSS exploitation probability: 94.5%.

Is there a public PoC exploit available for CVE-2016-10033?

Yes, a public proof-of-concept exploit is available for CVE-2016-10033. Prioritise patching immediately. EPSS: 94.5%.

Is there a patch available for CVE-2016-10033?

Yes, a patch is available for CVE-2016-10033. Update the affected software to the latest version immediately.

PHPMailer CVE-2016-10033

CRITICAL

Improper Neutralization of Argument Delimiters in a Command ('Argument Injection') (CWE-88)

2016-12-30 cve@mitre.org

RCE

9.8

CVSS 3.1 · NVD

Severity by source

NVD PRIMARY

9.8 CRITICAL

AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Primary rating from NVD · only source for this CVE.

CVSS VectorNVD

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Attack Vector

Network

Attack Complexity

Low

Privileges Required

None

User Interaction

None

Scope

Unchanged

Confidentiality

High

Integrity

High

Availability

High

Lifecycle Timeline

Added to CISA KEV

Apr 21, 2026 - 15:31 CISA

CVE Published

Dec 30, 2016 - 19:59 cve.org

CRITICAL 9.8

DescriptionCVE.org

AnalysisAI

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 \". Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. Actively exploited in the wild (cisa kev) and public exploit code available.

Technical ContextAI

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-88. 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. Affected products include: Phpmailer Project Phpmailer, Wordpress, Joomla Joomla\!. Version information: before 5.2.18.

RemediationAI

A vendor patch is available. Apply the latest security update as soon as possible. Apply vendor patches when available. Implement network segmentation and monitoring as interim mitigations.