How severe is CVE-2008-5619?

No CVSS score has been assigned to CVE-2008-5619 yet. Review the advisory details and affected package list to assess your exposure.

Which packages are affected by CVE-2008-5619?

CVE-2008-5619 affects the following packages: phpmailer/phpmailer (Packagist). Ecosystems affected: Packagist.

How do I fix CVE-2008-5619?

Update phpmailer/phpmailer to 5.2.10 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2008-5619 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.

How do I detect CVE-2008-5619 in my Packagist dependencies?

Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for phpmailer/phpmailer, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.

How do I mitigate CVE-2008-5619 if there is no patch (or I can't update yet)?

Stop passing untrusted input into the interpreter or shell: call the affected binary with an argument array rather than a composed command string, reject anything outside a strict allowlist of expected values, and run the component under an account that cannot reach beyond the work it legitimately does.

Is CVE-2008-5619 actively exploited in the wild?

Yes. There are 4 known exploit references for CVE-2008-5619, including 2 documented proof-of-concept exploits on Exploit-DB and 2 in-the-wild exploitations observed on GitHub and other sources. Treat this as actively exploitable and prioritize patching immediately. All exploit code should only be run in an isolated sandbox environment for research or authorized testing — never against production systems without explicit written authorization.

What is the EPSS score for CVE-2008-5619?

CVE-2008-5619 has an EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) score of 58.6%, placing it in the 99th percentile of all CVEs. EPSS is maintained by FIRST.org and estimates the probability that a vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. A score above 50% indicates significantly elevated exploitation risk — immediate patching is strongly recommended.

What type of vulnerability is CVE-2008-5619?

CVE-2008-5619 is classified as Code Injection (CWE-94). This weakness type describe the underlying flaw category, which helps determine the potential impact and the right class of mitigation. This is a high-impact weakness class that often enables remote code execution or data exposure.

When was CVE-2008-5619 published, and has it been updated?

CVE-2008-5619 was published on December 17, 2008 and was last updated on April 10, 2026. Advisory data evolves as severity scores, affected ranges, and exploit intelligence are revised — always check the latest version of the advisory before acting.

🐘 Packagist

Not in CISA KEV

CVE-2008-5619 — phpmailer

Fix: PHPMailer/PHPMailer@8beacc6

CVE-2008-5619 is a Code Injection vulnerability in phpmailer/phpmailer. 4 public exploit or proof-of-concept references are indexed, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for phpmailer/phpmailer — see the affected versions and patch details below.

PHPMailer susceptible to arbitrary code execution

Also known asGHSA-v5c9-mmw9-829q

Published

Dec 17, 2008

Updated

Apr 10, 2026

Affected

1 pkg

Patched

1 / 1

Exploits

4 known

Exploitation data as of Nov 7, 2026 · OSV.dev, NVD, FIRST.org (EPSS)

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗

58.6%probability of exploitation in next 30 days

High Risk0.00%

Lower risk than most CVEs99th percentile — riskier than 99% of all scored CVEsHighest risk

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.

Real-World Exposure

1 pkg affected

🐘phpmailer/phpmailer

Real-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects Packagist packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.

Description

html2text.php in Chuggnutt HTML to Text Converter, as used in PHPMailer before 5.2.10, RoundCube Webmail (roundcubemail) 0.2-1.alpha and 0.2-3.beta, Mahara, and AtMail Open 1.03, allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via crafted input that is processed by the preg_replace function with the eval switch.

Affected Packages

1 total 1 fixed

Ecosystem	Package	Vulnerable range	Fix
🐘Packagist	`phpmailer/phpmailer`	all versions	5.2.10`composer require phpmailer/phpmailer:^5.2.10`

Affected Products

1 product · 2 configurations

Application

webmailroundcube

2 versions

0.2.10.2.3

Exploits & PoCs

Research use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.

EDB-7549webappsphp✓ Verified

Roundcube Webmail 0.2-3 Beta - Code Execution

by Jacobo Avariento · Dec 22, 2008

Exploit-DB Source

EDB-7553webappsphp✓ Verified

Roundcube Webmail 0.2b - Remote Code Execution

by Hunger · Dec 22, 2008

Exploit-DB Source

Detection & mitigation playbook

Open-source dependency

Detect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for phpmailer/phpmailer, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update phpmailer/phpmailer to 5.2.10 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2008-5619 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
Stop passing untrusted input into the interpreter or shell: call the affected binary with an argument array rather than a composed command string, reject anything outside a strict allowlist of expected values, and run the component under an account that cannot reach beyond the work it legitimately does.

Frequently Asked Questions

O3 Security · Impact-Aware SCA

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