CVE-2026-53533
Received Received - Intake

aiosmtplib SMTP Command Injection via Malicious Addresses

Vulnerability report for CVE-2026-53533, including description, CVSS score, EPSS score, affected products, exploitability, helpful resources, and attack-flow context.

Publication date: 2026-08-18

Last updated on: 2026-08-18

Assigner: GitHub, Inc.

Description

aiosmtplib is an asynchronous SMTP client for use with asyncio. Prior to 5.1.1, SMTP.mail(), SMTP.rcpt(), SMTP.vrfy(), and SMTP.expn() send caller-supplied addresses without rejecting embedded CR or LF bytes. Data after the line break is framed as additional standalone SMTP command lines, allowing an attacker who influences an envelope sender or recipient to inject commands such as MAIL FROM, RCPT TO, RSET, DATA, or AUTH. SMTP.sendmail() and SMTP.send() without a Message object pass addresses through the affected methods, while SMTP.send_message() is not affected. Successful injection can desynchronize the command-response pipeline, hang the SMTP instance, or send an arbitrary message without requiring attacker control of the SMTP server. This issue is fixed in version 5.1.1.

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Meta Information

Published
2026-08-18
Last Modified
2026-08-18
Generated
2026-08-18
AI Q&A
2026-08-18
EPSS Evaluated
N/A
NVD
EUVD

Affected Vendors & Products

Showing 1 associated CPE
Vendor Product Version / Range
aiosmtplib aiosmtplib 5.1.1

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE
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KEV
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CWE ID Description
CWE-77 The product constructs all or part of a command using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the intended command when it is sent to a downstream component.
CWE-93 The product uses CRLF (carriage return line feeds) as a special element, e.g. to separate lines or records, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes CRLF sequences from inputs.

Attack-Flow Graph

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Executive Summary

This vulnerability affects aiosmtplib versions 5.1.0 and earlier. It allows SMTP command injection due to improper handling of CR/LF characters in email addresses. Attackers can embed these characters in sender or recipient addresses to inject commands like MAIL FROM or RCPT TO, potentially causing denial of service or unauthorized message transmission.

Detection Guidance

To detect this vulnerability, check if your system uses aiosmtplib versions 5.1.0 or earlier. Run: pip show aiosmtplib. If the version is <=5.1.0, the system is vulnerable. Also inspect application logs for SMTP command injection attempts, such as malformed email addresses containing CR/LF characters.

Impact Analysis

An attacker could exploit this to inject SMTP commands, disrupting email services, sending unauthorized messages, or causing the SMTP instance to hang. This may lead to service outages or unauthorized use of your email system if you use affected versions of aiosmtplib.

Mitigation Strategies

Upgrade aiosmtplib to version 5.1.1 or later immediately. Use: pip install --upgrade aiosmtplib. Review and sanitize all user inputs passed to SMTP functions to ensure no CR/LF or control characters are present. Validate email addresses before passing them to mail(), rcpt(), or sendmail().

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