Exim BDAT Vulnerability (CVE-2026-45185) Puts GnuTLS Configurations at Risk of Remote Code Execution
In May 2026, a critical vulnerability identified as CVE-2026-45185, also known as Dead.Letter, was discovered in Exim's Mail Transfer Agent (MTA) software. This use-after-free flaw affects versions 4.97 through 4.99.2 when configured with GnuTLS for TLS connections. The vulnerability is triggered during BDAT message body handling when a client sends a TLS close_notify alert before completing the body transfer, followed by a final byte in cleartext on the same TCP connection. This sequence can lead to heap corruption, potentially allowing remote code execution. The issue was reported by Federico Kirschbaum of XBOW on May 1, 2026, and has been addressed in Exim version 4.99.3. Users are strongly advised to upgrade immediately, as no mitigations are available for this vulnerability. This incident underscores the critical importance of timely software updates and vigilant monitoring of open-source components. The exploitation of such vulnerabilities can lead to severe security breaches, emphasizing the need for robust security practices and proactive vulnerability management in IT infrastructures.
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