How severe is CVE-2012-0796?

No CVSS score has been assigned to CVE-2012-0796 yet. Review the advisory details and affected package list to assess your exposure.

Which packages are affected by CVE-2012-0796?

CVE-2012-0796 affects the following packages: phpmailer/phpmailer (Packagist). Ecosystems affected: Packagist.

How do I fix CVE-2012-0796?

Update phpmailer/phpmailer to 2.2.1 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2012-0796 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.

How do I detect CVE-2012-0796 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-2012-0796 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-2012-0796 actively exploited in the wild?

No public exploit code has been indexed for CVE-2012-0796 yet. This does not mean the vulnerability cannot be exploited — absence of public exploits does not imply safety. Apply the recommended fix and use O3 Security to monitor your exposure.

What is the EPSS score for CVE-2012-0796?

CVE-2012-0796 has an EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) score of 1.7%, placing it in the 77th 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. This score indicates relatively lower exploitation probability, though the CVSS severity should still guide your patching priority.

What type of vulnerability is CVE-2012-0796?

CVE-2012-0796 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-2012-0796 published, and has it been updated?

CVE-2012-0796 was published on October 6, 2022 and was last updated on November 8, 2023. 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-2012-0796 — phpmailer

CVE-2012-0796 is a Code Injection vulnerability in phpmailer/phpmailer. A fix is available for phpmailer/phpmailer — see the affected versions and patch details below.

PHPMailer vulnerable to email header injection

Published

Oct 6, 2022

Updated

Nov 8, 2023

Affected

1 pkg

Patched

1 / 1

Exploits

None indexed

Exploitation data as of Nov 3, 2026 · OSV.dev, NVD, FIRST.org (EPSS)

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗

1.7%probability of exploitation in next 30 days

Lower Risk0.00%

Lower risk than most CVEs77th percentile — riskier than 77% 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

Impact

Arbitrary additional email headers can be injected via crafted From or Sender headers.

Patches

Fixed in 2.2.1

Workarounds

Filter user-supplied values prior to using them in From or Sender properties.

References

https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2012-0796

For more information

If you have any questions or comments about this advisory:

Open a private issue in the PHPMailer project

Affected Packages

1 total 1 fixed

Ecosystem	Package	Vulnerable range	Fix
🐘Packagist	`phpmailer/phpmailer`	all versions	2.2.1`composer require phpmailer/phpmailer:^2.2.1`

Affected Products

1 product · 27 configurations

Application

moodlemoodle

27 versions

1.9.11.9.21.9.31.9.41.9.51.9.61.9.71.9.81.9.91.9.101.9.111.9.12

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 2.2.1 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2012-0796 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

### Impact Arbitrary additional email headers can be injected via crafted From or Sender headers. ### Patches Fixed in 2.2.1 ### Workarounds Filter user-supplied values prior to using them in From or Sender properties. ### References https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2012-0796 ### For more information If you have any questions or comments about this advisory: * Open a private issue in [the PHPMailer project](https://github.com/PHPMailer/PHPMailer)