CVE-2016-10074: Swiftmailer/swiftmailer Swift Mailer Mail Transport Command Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-pr44-4jfr-286m
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CVSS 9.8
CWE-77
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2016-10074 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.8) swift mailer mail transport command vulnerability (CWE-77: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in a Command ('Command Injection')) affecting Swiftmailer/swiftmailer libraries in the Packagist ecosystem. The issue involves swift mailer mail transport command injection. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 5.4.5.

CVE-2016-10074 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2016-10074
GHSA Identifier GHSA-pr44-4jfr-286m
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.8
CWE Classification CWE-77: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in a Command ('Command Injection')
Affected Product Swiftmailer/swiftmailer
Package Ecosystem Packagist
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 9.8

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2016-10074

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Swiftmailer/swiftmailer dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

swiftmailer/swiftmailer fixed: 5.4.5 
Upgrade swiftmailer/swiftmailer to 5.4.5
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

inspect dependencies for swiftmailer/swiftmailer

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2016-10074, inspect your project dependencies for Swiftmailer/swiftmailer:

inspect dependencies for swiftmailer/swiftmailer

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Swiftmailer/swiftmailer in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 5.4.5), your application is affected.

Note: Verify declared build manifests and deployed runtime container environments.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-77: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in a Command ('Command Injection'), where the product constructs all or part of a command using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the intended command when it is sent to a downstream component. In Swiftmailer/swiftmailer, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

The mail transport (aka Swift_Transport_MailTransport) in Swift Mailer before 5.4.5 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 e-mail address in the (1) From, (2) ReturnPath, or (3) Sender header.

CVE-2016-10074 Affected Swiftmailer/swiftmailer Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
5.4.5
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
swiftmailer/swiftmailer
 Packagist
< 5.4.5
5.4.5

References

NVD — CVE-2016-10074 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-10074
Swiftmailer/swiftmailer Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/FriendsOfPHP/security-advisories/blob/master/swiftmailer/swiftmailer/CVE-2016-10074.yaml
Swiftmailer/swiftmailer Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/swiftmailer/swiftmailer/blob/5.x/CHANGES
legalhackers.com/advisories/swiftmai... WEB
https://legalhackers.com/advisories/SwiftMailer-Exploit-Remote-Code-Exec-CVE-2016-10074-Vuln.html
www.exploit-db.com/exploits/40972 WEB
https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/40972
www.exploit-db.com/exploits/40986 WEB
https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/40986
www.exploit-db.com/exploits/42221 WEB
https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/42221
Swiftmailer/swiftmailer Security Information SECURITY
http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/140290/SwiftMailer-Remote-Code-Execution.html
seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2016... WEB
http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2016/Dec/86
Swiftmailer/swiftmailer Security Information SECURITY
http://www.debian.org/security/2017/dsa-3769
Swiftmailer/swiftmailer Security Information SECURITY
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/95140

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2016-10074?
CVE-2016-10074 is a security vulnerability in Swiftmailer/swiftmailer involving Swift Mailer mail transport Command Injection under CWE-77: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in a Command ('Command Injection').
Which Swiftmailer/swiftmailer versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 5.4.5 across affected packages: swiftmailer/swiftmailer.
What version fixes CVE-2016-10074?
Upgrading to 5.4.5 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is swiftmailer/swiftmailer affected?
Yes, swiftmailer/swiftmailer is affected in releases prior to 5.4.5. Upgrade your dependency to 5.4.5 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2016-10074?
CVE-2016-10074 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (CRITICAL) with vector string CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2016-10074?
CVE-2016-10074 is classified under CWE-77: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in a Command ('Command Injection') (The product constructs all or part of a command using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the intended command when it is sent to a downstream component.).
How can I check Packagist dependencies for CVE-2016-10074?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for swiftmailer/swiftmailer'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-pr44-4jfr-286m",
  "modified" : "2025-04-14T22:05:40Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-17T00:27:49Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2016-10074" ],
  "summary" : "Swift Mailer mail transport Command Injection",
  "details" : "The mail transport (aka Swift_Transport_MailTransport) in Swift Mailer before 5.4.5 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 e-mail address in the (1) From, (2) ReturnPath, or (3) Sender header.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "swiftmailer/swiftmailer"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "5.4.5"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-10074"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/FriendsOfPHP/security-advisories/blob/master/swiftmailer/swiftmailer/CVE-2016-10074.yaml"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/swiftmailer/swiftmailer/blob/5.x/CHANGES"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://legalhackers.com/advisories/SwiftMailer-Exploit-Remote-Code-Exec-CVE-2016-10074-Vuln.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/40972"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/40986"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/42221"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/140290/SwiftMailer-Remote-Code-Execution.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2016/Dec/86"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.debian.org/security/2017/dsa-3769"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/95140"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-77" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2024-04-24T22:03:23Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2016-12-30T19:59:00Z"
  }
}