Description
The Data function in class.smtp.php in PHPMailer 1.7.2 and earlier allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (infinite loop leading to memory and CPU consumption) via a long header field.
Fixed in Linux distributions
Distributions backport fixes, so the version that fixes this vulnerability differs per release — upgrade to at least the version shown. From the distributions' security trackers and advisories.
Debian
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian 14 | libphp-phpmailer | 1.73 | — |
| Debian 13 | libphp-phpmailer | 1.73 | — |
| Debian 12 | libphp-phpmailer | 1.73 | — |
Public exploits
Exploit or proof-of-concept code for this vulnerability is publicly available, which lowers the bar for attackers. Treat it as a reason to patch sooner.
Third-party code, not reviewed by us. Public PoCs are sometimes fake or contain malware. Read the code first and run it only in an isolated lab, against systems you are authorised to test.
Exploit-DB 1
- PHPMailer 1.7 - 'Data()' Remote Denial of Service EDB-25752 · dos · May 28, 2005 · verified
Sources: PoC-in-GitHub, Metasploit Framework, Exploit-DB — updated daily. Only links are listed; no exploit code is hosted here.
References
- ADV-2007-2242 vdb-entry
- ADV-2006-0448 vdb-entry
- 1014069 vdb-entry
- http://www.cybsec.com/vuln/PHPMailer-DOS.pdf
- 20050530 CYBSEC - PHPMailer Infinite Loop Denial of Service mailing-list
- 13805 vdb-entry
- 25726 third-party-advisory
- 15543 third-party-advisory
- http://sourceforge.net/project/shownotes.php?release_id=341210&group_id=26031
- 18732 third-party-advisory