high CVSS 7.5 EPSS 0.40%

CVE-2026-45068·PHP vulnerability

Symfony is a PHP framework for web and console applications and a set of reusable PHP components. Prior to 5.4.52, 6.4.40, 7.4.12, and 8.0.12, SendmailTransport in -t mode appended recipient addresses to the sendmail command line without a -- end-of-options separator, allowing an address beginning with - to be interpreted as a sendmail command-line option instead of an address. This issue is fixed in versions 5.4.52, 6.4.40, 7.4.12, and 8.0.12.

Severity
high
Software
PHP
Fixed in
8.0.12
Published

How likely is exploitation

FIRST's Exploit Prediction Scoring System puts the probability of this CVE being exploited in the next 30 days at 0.40% — higher than 32% of all published CVEs. EPSS is an independent forecast of exploitation, not a severity rating: it says nothing about how much damage a successful attack does, which is what a CVSS score measures.

Read the two together. CVE-2026-45068 scores 7.5 on CVSS, so a successful attack would be serious — but at 0.40%, almost nobody is currently attempting it. That is a different situation from a flaw under mass exploitation, and it is usually the difference between patching on your next maintenance window and patching tonight.

Affected versions

From: 8.0.0

Until: 8.0.12

Fixed in: 8.0.12

How to fix this CVE

Update Symfony's SendmailTransport component to version 8.0.12 or later to remediate a command injection vulnerability affecting email delivery. The vulnerability allows specially crafted recipient email addresses (those beginning with a dash) to be interpreted as sendmail command-line options, potentially leading to unauthorized email operations. Ensure your PHP environment and all Symfony dependencies are updated through your package manager.

sudo dnf update php symfony

Defensia detects this vulnerability

How to check if you are affected

  1. Step 1: Check installed PHP/Symfony version: php -v && composer show symfony/symfony 2>/dev/null || grep -r '"version"' vendor/symfony/symfony/composer.json 2>/dev/null
  2. Step 2: Verify SendmailTransport is in use by searching your codebase: grep -r 'SendmailTransport' app/ src/ config/ --include='*.php' --include='*.yaml'
  3. Step 3: Search application and mail logs for email addresses beginning with hyphens as recipients: grep -E '(to|recipient).*-[a-zA-Z]' /var/log/mail.log /var/log/syslog app/var/log/*.log 2>/dev/null
  4. Step 4: Confirm the patch by checking the Symfony version matches 8.0.12 or later: composer show symfony/symfony | grep -i version

FAQ

What is CVE-2026-45068?

CVE-2026-45068 is a command injection vulnerability in Symfony's SendmailTransport class where recipient email addresses prefixed with a hyphen are not properly escaped, allowing them to be interpreted as sendmail command-line options instead of email addresses.

Is CVE-2026-45068 being actively exploited?

No, this vulnerability is not currently listed on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog and no public exploits are available, though the high CVSS score warrants prompt patching.

What versions of PHP are affected by CVE-2026-45068?

Symfony framework versions 8.0.0 through 8.0.11 are affected; versions 5.4.52, 6.4.40, 7.4.12, and 8.0.12 contain the fix.

How do I check if my server is vulnerable to CVE-2026-45068?

Run 'composer show symfony/symfony' and check if the version is between 8.0.0 and 8.0.11; if SendmailTransport is not explicitly disabled in configuration, your application is vulnerable.

Does Defensia detect CVE-2026-45068?

Yes — Defensia's CVE advisory scanner compares installed package versions against the NVD database. If Symfony is installed on a monitored server, CVE-2026-45068 will appear in your dashboard with remediation steps.

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References

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