CVE-2017-5223: An issue was discovered in PHPMailer before 5.2.22

Q: How do I fix CVE-2017-5223?

phpmailer: upgrade to newer than 5.2.21. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.

Q: Is CVE-2017-5223 being exploited?

CVE-2017-5223 is not on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list at the time of the last update. Check again, as this can change.

Q: What does CVE-2017-5223 affect?

CVE-2017-5223 affects phpmailer. Severity is medium (CVSS 5.5). An issue was discovered in PHPMailer before 5.2.22. PHPMailer's msgHTML method applies transformations to an HTML document to make it usable as an email message body. One of the transformations is to convert relative image URLs into attachm

Q: How urgent is CVE-2017-5223?

Priority 45/100. Public exploit reference

This month

MEDIUM 5.5UPGRADE

CVE-2017-5223 is a medium-severity flaw (CVSS 5.5) affecting phpmailer. Below: why it ranks where it does, which versions are affected, what to do, and the exact commands.

An issue was discovered in PHPMailer before 5.2.22. PHPMailer's msgHTML method applies transformations to an HTML document to make it usable as an email message body. One of the transformations is to convert relative image URLs into attachments using a script-provided base directory. If no base directory is provided, it resolves to /, meaning that relative image URLs get treated as absolute local file paths and added as attachments. To form a rem

Why this priority

Public exploit reference

A fixed release or distro patch exists.

Risk facts

CVSS score	5.5 (Medium)
Attack vector	Local
Attack complexity	Low
Privileges needed	Low
User interaction	None
EPSS exploit chance	2.1% (top 18%)
CISA exploited list	No
Weakness	CWE-200
Published	2017-01-16
Last modified	2026-06-17

Publisher (CNA): MITRE · Vendor: phpmailer project

Last updated 2026-06-17 · Sources: CVE Program, NVD, CISA KEV, EPSS and vendor advisories · How we score

Am I affected?

Timeline

2017-01-16 06:59 UTCPublished CVE record published
2026-06-17 01:20 UTCUpdated Record last modified

phpmailer project phpmailer UPGRADE

Affected: <= 5.2.21

Fixed in: newer than 5.2.21

Safe to downgrade to: no unaffected older release

1. Check installed version

apt-cache policy phpmailer || rpm -q phpmailer || phpmailer --version

2. UPGRADE to newer than 5.2.21 (Debian / Ubuntu)

sudo apt update && sudo apt install --only-upgrade phpmailer

2. UPGRADE (RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora)

sudo dnf upgrade phpmailer

Note

Distros often backport fixes without changing the version number. Confirm with the distro advisory or changelog.

Public exploits and detection

Public code exists for this CVE. Treat unpatched systems as at risk, and only run PoCs in a lab.

Exploit-DB: PHPMailer < 5.2.21 - Local File Disclosure

Verify at the official source NVD · CVE Program · Report a problem with this page
Scores and fixes here are computed automatically from those and other public sources. Confirm with the vendor advisory before changing production systems.

Quick answers

How do I fix CVE-2017-5223?

phpmailer: upgrade to newer than 5.2.21. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.

Is CVE-2017-5223 being exploited?

CVE-2017-5223 is not on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list at the time of the last update. Check again, as this can change.

What does CVE-2017-5223 affect?

CVE-2017-5223 affects phpmailer. Severity is medium (CVSS 5.5). An issue was discovered in PHPMailer before 5.2.22. PHPMailer's msgHTML method applies transformations to an HTML document to make it usable as an email message body. One of the transformations is to convert relative image URLs into attachm

How urgent is CVE-2017-5223?

Priority 45/100. Public exploit reference

Related CVEs

CVE-2021-3603 HIGH 8.1 UPGRADE MITIGATE PHPMailer 6.4.1 and earlier contain a vulnerability that can result in untrusted code being called (if such co
CVE-2021-34551 HIGH 8.1 UPGRADE MITIGATE PHPMailer before 6.5.0 on Windows allows remote code execution if lang_path is untrusted data and has a UNC pa
CVE-2020-36326 CRITICAL 9.8 UPGRADE UPGRADE PHPMailer 6.1.8 through 6.4.0 allows object injection through Phar Deserialization via addAttachment with a UN
CVE-2020-13625 HIGH 7.5 UPGRADE MITIGATE PHPMailer before 6.1.6 contains an output escaping bug when the name of a file attachment contains a double qu
CVE-2018-19296 HIGH 8.8 UPGRADE MITIGATE PHPMailer before 5.2.27 and 6.x before 6.0.6 is vulnerable to an object injection attack.

References

← Back to latest CVEs