Vulnerability Database

383,304

Total vulnerabilities in the database

CVE-2016-1238 — apache / spamassassin

Permissions, Privileges, and Access Controls

(1) cpan/Archive-Tar/bin/ptar, (2) cpan/Archive-Tar/bin/ptardiff, (3) cpan/Archive-Tar/bin/ptargrep, (4) cpan/CPAN/scripts/cpan, (5) cpan/Digest-SHA/shasum, (6) cpan/Encode/bin/enc2xs, (7) cpan/Encode/bin/encguess, (8) cpan/Encode/bin/piconv, (9) cpan/Encode/bin/ucmlint, (10) cpan/Encode/bin/unidump, (11) cpan/ExtUtils-MakeMaker/bin/instmodsh, (12) cpan/IO-Compress/bin/zipdetails, (13) cpan/JSON-PP/bin/json_pp, (14) cpan/Test-Harness/bin/prove, (15) dist/ExtUtils-ParseXS/lib/ExtUtils/xsubpp, (16) dist/Module-CoreList/corelist, (17) ext/Pod-Html/bin/pod2html, (18) utils/c2ph.PL, (19) utils/h2ph.PL, (20) utils/h2xs.PL, (21) utils/libnetcfg.PL, (22) utils/perlbug.PL, (23) utils/perldoc.PL, (24) utils/perlivp.PL, and (25) utils/splain.PL in Perl 5.x before 5.22.3-RC2 and 5.24 before 5.24.1-RC2 do not properly remove . (period) characters from the end of the includes directory array, which might allow local users to gain privileges via a Trojan horse module under the current working directory.

  • Published: Aug 2, 2016
  • Updated: Sep 13, 2026
  • CVE: CVE-2016-1238
  • Severity: High
  • Exploit:
  • CISA KEV:

CVSS v3:

  • Severity: High
  • Score: 7.8
  • AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CVSS v2:

  • Severity: High
  • Score: 7.2
  • AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C

CWEs:

Software Affected versions
apache / spamassassin < 3.4.2
debian / debian_linux = 8.0
fedoraproject / fedora = 23
fedoraproject / fedora = 24
perl / perl = 1.0.15
perl / perl = 1.0.16
perl / perl = 5.000
perl / perl = 5.000o
perl / perl = 5.001
perl / perl = 5.001n
perl / perl = 5.002
perl / perl = 5.002_01
perl / perl = 5.003
perl / perl = 5.003_01
perl / perl = 5.003_02
perl / perl = 5.003_03
perl / perl = 5.003_04
perl / perl = 5.003_05
perl / perl = 5.003_07
perl / perl = 5.003_08
perl / perl = 5.003_09
perl / perl = 5.003_10
perl / perl = 5.003_11
perl / perl = 5.003_12
perl / perl = 5.003_13
perl / perl = 5.003_14
perl / perl = 5.003_15
perl / perl = 5.003_16
perl / perl = 5.003_17
perl / perl = 5.003_18
perl / perl = 5.003_19
perl / perl = 5.003_20
perl / perl = 5.003_21
perl / perl = 5.003_22
perl / perl = 5.003_23
perl / perl = 5.003_24
perl / perl = 5.003_25
perl / perl = 5.003_26
perl / perl = 5.003_27
perl / perl = 5.003_28
perl / perl = 5.003_90
perl / perl = 5.003_91
perl / perl = 5.003_92
perl / perl = 5.003_93
perl / perl = 5.003_94
perl / perl = 5.003_95
perl / perl = 5.003_96
perl / perl = 5.003_97
perl / perl = 5.003_97a
perl / perl = 5.003_97b
perl / perl = 5.003_97c
perl / perl = 5.003_97d
perl / perl = 5.003_97e
perl / perl = 5.003_97f
perl / perl = 5.003_97g
perl / perl = 5.003_97h
perl / perl = 5.003_97i
perl / perl = 5.003_97j
perl / perl = 5.003_98
perl / perl = 5.003_99
perl / perl = 5.003_99a
perl / perl = 5.004
perl / perl = 5.004_01
perl / perl = 5.004_02
perl / perl = 5.004_03
perl / perl = 5.004_04
perl / perl = 5.004_05
perl / perl = 5.005
perl / perl = 5.005_01
perl / perl = 5.005_02
perl / perl = 5.005_03
perl / perl = 5.005_04
perl / perl = 5.6
perl / perl = 5.6.0
perl / perl = 5.6.1
perl / perl = 5.6.2
perl / perl = 5.7.3
perl / perl = 5.8
perl / perl = 5.8.0
perl / perl = 5.8.1
perl / perl = 5.8.2
perl / perl = 5.8.3
perl / perl = 5.8.4
perl / perl = 5.8.5
perl / perl = 5.8.6
perl / perl = 5.8.7
perl / perl = 5.8.8
perl / perl = 5.8.9
perl / perl = 5.8.9-rc1
perl / perl = 5.9.0
perl / perl = 5.9.1
perl / perl = 5.9.2
perl / perl = 5.9.3
perl / perl = 5.9.4
perl / perl = 5.9.5
perl / perl = 5.10
perl / perl = 5.10.0
perl / perl = 5.10.1
perl / perl = 5.10.1-rc1
perl / perl = 5.10.1-rc2
perl / perl = 5.11.0
perl / perl = 5.11.1
perl / perl = 5.11.2
perl / perl = 5.11.3
perl / perl = 5.11.4
perl / perl = 5.11.5
perl / perl = 5.12.0
perl / perl = 5.12.0-rc0
perl / perl = 5.12.0-rc1
perl / perl = 5.12.0-rc2
perl / perl = 5.12.0-rc3
perl / perl = 5.12.0-rc4
perl / perl = 5.12.0-rc5
perl / perl = 5.12.1
perl / perl = 5.12.1-rc0
perl / perl = 5.12.1-rc1
perl / perl = 5.12.1-rc2
perl / perl = 5.12.2
perl / perl = 5.12.2-rc1
perl / perl = 5.12.3
perl / perl = 5.12.3-rc1
perl / perl = 5.12.3-rc2
perl / perl = 5.12.3-rc3
perl / perl = 5.12.4
perl / perl = 5.12.4-rc1
perl / perl = 5.12.4-rc2
perl / perl = 5.12.5
perl / perl = 5.12.5-rc1
perl / perl = 5.12.5-rc2
perl / perl = 5.13.0
perl / perl = 5.13.1
perl / perl = 5.13.2
perl / perl = 5.13.3
perl / perl = 5.13.4
perl / perl = 5.13.5
perl / perl = 5.13.6
perl / perl = 5.13.7
perl / perl = 5.13.8
perl / perl = 5.13.9
perl / perl = 5.13.10
perl / perl = 5.13.11
perl / perl = 5.14.0
perl / perl = 5.14.0-rc1
perl / perl = 5.14.0-rc2
perl / perl = 5.14.0-rc3
perl / perl = 5.14.1
perl / perl = 5.14.1-rc1
perl / perl = 5.14.2
perl / perl = 5.14.2-rc1
perl / perl = 5.14.3
perl / perl = 5.14.3-rc1
perl / perl = 5.14.3-rc2
perl / perl = 5.14.4
perl / perl = 5.14.4-rc1
perl / perl = 5.14.4-rc2
perl / perl = 5.15.0
perl / perl = 5.15.1
perl / perl = 5.15.2
perl / perl = 5.15.3
perl / perl = 5.15.4
perl / perl = 5.15.5
perl / perl = 5.15.6
perl / perl = 5.15.7
perl / perl = 5.15.8
perl / perl = 5.15.9
perl / perl = 5.16.0
perl / perl = 5.16.0-rc1
perl / perl = 5.16.0-rc2
perl / perl = 5.16.1
perl / perl = 5.16.2
perl / perl = 5.16.3
perl / perl = 5.16.3-rc1
perl / perl = 5.17.0
perl / perl = 5.17.1
perl / perl = 5.17.2
perl / perl = 5.17.3
perl / perl = 5.17.4
perl / perl = 5.17.5
perl / perl = 5.17.6
perl / perl = 5.17.7
perl / perl = 5.17.7.0
perl / perl = 5.17.8
perl / perl = 5.17.9
perl / perl = 5.17.10
perl / perl = 5.17.11
perl / perl = 5.18.0
perl / perl = 5.18.0-rc1
perl / perl = 5.18.0-rc2
perl / perl = 5.18.0-rc3
perl / perl = 5.18.0-rc4
perl / perl = 5.18.1
perl / perl = 5.18.2
perl / perl = 5.18.2-rc1
perl / perl = 5.18.2-rc2
perl / perl = 5.18.2-rc3
perl / perl = 5.18.2-rc4
perl / perl = 5.18.3
perl / perl = 5.18.3-rc1
perl / perl = 5.18.3-rc2
perl / perl = 5.18.4
perl / perl = 5.19.0
perl / perl = 5.19.1
perl / perl = 5.19.2
perl / perl = 5.19.3
perl / perl = 5.19.4
perl / perl = 5.19.5
perl / perl = 5.19.6
perl / perl = 5.19.7
perl / perl = 5.19.8
perl / perl = 5.19.9
perl / perl = 5.19.10
perl / perl = 5.19.11
perl / perl = 5.20.0
perl / perl = 5.20.0-rc1
perl / perl = 5.20.1
perl / perl = 5.20.1-rc1
perl / perl = 5.20.1-rc2
perl / perl = 5.20.2
perl / perl = 5.20.2-rc1
perl / perl = 5.20.3
perl / perl = 5.20.3-rc1
perl / perl = 5.20.3-rc2
perl / perl = 5.21.0
perl / perl = 5.21.1
perl / perl = 5.21.2
perl / perl = 5.21.3
perl / perl = 5.21.4
perl / perl = 5.21.5
perl / perl = 5.21.6
perl / perl = 5.21.7
perl / perl = 5.21.8
perl / perl = 5.21.9
perl / perl = 5.21.10
perl / perl = 5.21.11
perl / perl = 5.22.0
perl / perl = 5.22.0-rc1
perl / perl = 5.22.0-rc2
perl / perl = 5.22.1
perl / perl = 5.22.1-rc1
perl / perl = 5.22.1-rc2
perl / perl = 5.22.1-rc3
perl / perl = 5.22.1-rc4
perl / perl = 5.22.2
perl / perl = 5.22.2-rc1
perl / perl = 5.22.3-rc1
perl / perl = 5.24.0
perl / perl = 5.24.0-rc1
perl / perl = 5.24.0-rc2
perl / perl = 5.24.0-rc3
perl / perl = 5.24.0-rc4
perl / perl = 5.24.0-rc5
perl / perl = 5.24.1-rc1
opensuse / leap = 15.0

Frequently Asked Questions

A security vulnerability is a weakness in software, hardware, or configuration that can be exploited to compromise confidentiality, integrity, or availability. Many vulnerabilities are tracked as CVEs (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures), which provide a standardized identifier so teams can coordinate patching, mitigation, and risk assessment across tools and vendors.

CVSS (Common Vulnerability Scoring System) estimates technical severity, but it doesn't automatically equal business risk. Prioritize using context like internet exposure, affected asset criticality, known exploitation (proof-of-concept or in-the-wild), and whether compensating controls exist. A "Medium" CVSS on an exposed, production system can be more urgent than a "Critical" on an isolated, non-production host.

A vulnerability is the underlying weakness. An exploit is the method or code used to take advantage of it. A zero-day is a vulnerability that is unknown to the vendor or has no publicly available fix when attackers begin using it. In practice, risk increases sharply when exploitation becomes reliable or widespread.

Recurring findings usually come from incomplete Asset Discovery, inconsistent patch management, inherited images, and configuration drift. In modern environments, you also need to watch the software supply chain: dependencies, containers, build pipelines, and third-party services can reintroduce the same weakness even after you patch a single host. Unknown or unmanaged assets (often called Shadow IT) are a common reason the same issues resurface.

Use a simple, repeatable triage model: focus first on externally exposed assets, high-value systems (identity, VPN, email, production), vulnerabilities with known exploits, and issues that enable remote code execution or privilege escalation. Then enforce patch SLAs and track progress using consistent metrics so remediation is steady, not reactive.

SynScan combines attack surface monitoring and continuous security auditing to keep your inventory current, flag high-impact vulnerabilities early, and help you turn raw findings into a practical remediation plan.