HOMEVULNERABILITIESCVE-2026-40016
MEDIUM

CVE-2026-40016

CWE-400Published: May 12, 2026· Updated: May 18, 2026

6.5
CVSS v3.1
EPSS:0.01%probability of exploitation in 30 daysPercentile:1.9th

Official Description

Attacker can upload a malicious Sieve script over ManageSieve service (or locally) to bypass configured CPU time limits for Sieve up to 130 times of the configured limit. Attacker can use this to degrade server performance and bypass configured CPU time limits for Sieve scripts. Install fixed version, or alternatively prevent direct access to Sieve scripts via ManageSieve or local access. No publicly available exploits are known.

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2026-40016 can be exploited remotely over the network without requiring physical or adjacent access, significantly expanding the attack surface for threat actors.

Exploitation requires low privileges, which limits the exposure to scenarios where an attacker has already gained initial access.

A successful exploit results in availability disruption (denial of service), with a CVSS base score of 6.5.

CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown

Exploitability
Attack VectorNetwork
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges Req.Low
User InteractionNone
ScopeUnchanged
Impact
ConfidentialityNone
IntegrityNone
AvailabilityHigh
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Affected Vendors & Products

dovecot1 product
dovecot
open-xchange1 product
dovecot
Source: NVD CPE · 2 total CPE entries

Exploit & PoC Resources

NO KNOWN EXPLOITNo public exploit confirmed at this time
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Official Patches & Advisories

All References (1)

Quick Facts

CVE IDCVE-2026-40016
CVSS Score6.5 / 10
SeverityMEDIUM
WeaknessCWE-400
CISA KEVNo
EPSS (30d)0.01%
Affected2 vendors
PublishedMay 12, 2026

Related CVEs (CWE-400)

Recommended Actions

  • Apply vendor patches immediately
  • Monitor CVE-2026-40016 in threat intel feeds
  • Review IDS/IPS signatures for exploitation attempts
Data sourced from NVD (NIST), CISA KEV, and EPSS (FIRST). Analysis generated by CTIWATCH.COM. CVE data is provided under the NVD usage policy.