USN-9086-1: sa-exim vulnerability

Q: Which deployments are realistically exposed?

Deployments using SA-Exim are exposed when an attacker can write SpamAssassin configuration files or rules. The issue is tied specifically to evaluation of parameters in the greylisting SpamAssassin rule.

Q: What access does an attacker need to exploit this issue?

The attacker must be able to write SpamAssassin configuration files or rules. The provided information does not describe exploitation by an unauthenticated remote attacker without that capability.

Q: What is the potential impact after exploitation?

An attacker meeting the write-access prerequisite could possibly execute arbitrary code.

Published Nov 12, 2026

Updated

It was discovered that SA-Exim unsafely evaluated the parameters of its greylisting SpamAssassin rule. An attacker able to write SpamAssassin configuration files or rules could possibly use this issue to execute arbitrary code.

Affected Software

3 affected componentsFixes available

ubuntu/sa-exim<4.2.1-16ubuntu0.1~esm1

4.2.1-16ubuntu0.1~esm1

All of the following

ubuntu/sa-exim<Ubuntu Pro

Ubuntu Pro

Ubuntu Ubuntu=18.04

Remediation

Recommended actions to resolve this vulnerability, in priority order.

Upgrade
Upgrade ubuntu/sa-exim to a version that resolves this vulnerability.
Fixed in 4.2.1-16ubuntu0.1~esm1
Upgrade
Upgrade ubuntu/sa-exim to a version that resolves this vulnerability.
Fixed in Ubuntu Pro

Child vulnerabilities

Contains the following vulnerabilities.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which deployments are realistically exposed?

Deployments using SA-Exim are exposed when an attacker can write SpamAssassin configuration files or rules. The issue is tied specifically to evaluation of parameters in the greylisting SpamAssassin rule.

What access does an attacker need to exploit this issue?

The attacker must be able to write SpamAssassin configuration files or rules. The provided information does not describe exploitation by an unauthenticated remote attacker without that capability.

What is the potential impact after exploitation?

An attacker meeting the write-access prerequisite could possibly execute arbitrary code.

USN-9086-1: sa-exim vulnerability

Affected Software

Remediation

Child vulnerabilities

Frequently Asked Questions

Which deployments are realistically exposed?

What access does an attacker need to exploit this issue?

What is the potential impact after exploitation?

Company

Resources

Contact

Frequently Asked Questions

Which deployments are realistically exposed?

What access does an attacker need to exploit this issue?

What is the potential impact after exploitation?