Description
MIME::Head versions from 5.518 before 5.521 for Perl decode a partly encoded multipart boundary without flagging the parse as ambiguous.
The multipart_boundary() method decodes RFC 2047 encoded words anywhere in the boundary, but the ambiguity check only fires when the whole value is one encoded word. A boundary such as abc=?us-ascii?Q?def?= is used as abcdef, and ambiguous_content() returns false.
Encoded words are not allowed in parameters, so other mail readers split the message on the literal value. A remote sender can hide an attachment from a filter that relies on ambiguous_content() while the recipient's mail client shows it.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| — | MIME-tools | 5.518 – < 5.521 | 5.521 |
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 | libmime-tools-perl | 5.522-1 | — |
| Debian 13 | libmime-tools-perl | No fix yet | — |
| Debian 12 | libmime-tools-perl | No fix yet | — |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 26.10 | libmime-tools-perl | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 26.04 LTS | libmime-tools-perl | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | libmime-tools-perl | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | libmime-tools-perl | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | libmime-tools-perl | No fix yet | — |
Show 3 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 18.04 LTS | libmime-tools-perl | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 16.04 LTS | libmime-tools-perl | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 14.04 LTS | libmime-tools-perl | No fix yet | — |
openSUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| openSUSE Tumbleweed | perl-MIME-tools | 5.522.0-1.1 | openSUSE-SU-2026:12347-1 |
| openSUSE Leap 16.0 | perl-MIME-tools | 5.522.0-bp160.1.1 | openSUSE-SU-2026:22226-1 |
Advisories 2
- openSUSE-SU-2026:22226-1 Security update for perl-MIME-tools SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Nov 4, 2026
- openSUSE-SU-2026:12347-1 perl-MIME-tools-5.522.0-1.1 on GA media SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Oct 31, 2026