GHSA-738m-f33v-qc2r
Fix: PHPMailer/PHPMailer@6687a96GHSA-738m-f33v-qc2r is a Improper Input Validation vulnerability in phpmailer/phpmailer. O3 Security confirms whether GHSA-738m-f33v-qc2r is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
SMTP Injection in PHPMailer
Real-World Exposure
phpmailer/phpmailerReal-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
Attackers could inject arbitrary SMTP commands via by exploiting the fact that valid email addresses may contain line breaks, which are not handled correctly in some contexts.
Patches
Fixed in 5.2.14 in this commit.
Workarounds
Manually strip line breaks from email addresses before passing them to PHPMailer.
References
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2015-8476
For more information
If you have any questions or comments about this advisory:
- Open a private issue in the PHPMailer project
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐘Packagist | phpmailer/phpmailer | ≥ 5.0.0&&< 5.2.14 | 5.2.14 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for phpmailer/phpmailer. O3's reachability analysis confirms whether the vulnerable code path is actually invoked in your application, so you act on real exposure instead of every transitive match.
Fix
Update phpmailer/phpmailer to 5.2.14 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-738m-f33v-qc2r is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
How O3 protects you
O3 pinpoints whether GHSA-738m-f33v-qc2r is reachable in your code and exactly where to fix it, then blocks exploitation in production at runtime until the patched version is deployed.
Tailored to GHSA-738m-f33v-qc2r. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-738m-f33v-qc2r in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-738m-f33v-qc2r across Packagist dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.