CVE-2026-102471

What it is

In Eclipse Vert.x versions [4.0.0, 4.5.34] or [5.0.0,5.0.12] or [5.1.0,5.1.9] or [5.2.0, 5.2.0], the vertx-mail-client does not sanitize CR (\r) or LF (\n) characters in user-supplied email header names and values before writing them into the SMTP DATA section. A CR/LF sequence embedded in a name or value passed to MailMessage.addHeader(), MailMessage.setHeaders(), MailAttachment.addHeader(), or MailAttachment.setHeaders() is written verbatim to the wire, allowing an attacker to inject arbitrary headers (e.g. Bcc, Reply-To, Content-Type) or prepend body content to the outgoing message. The same weakness affects MIME part metadata set via MailAttachment.setContentType(), setDisposition(), setDescription(), and setContentId(), which are written directly into MIME part headers without validation. A secondary weakness in Utils.mustEncode(char) additionally allows a bare LF in a From display-name to bypass Q-encoding and reach the wire unchanged. An unauthenticated attacker who can control any header name, header value, or attachment metadata field passed to the mail client (for example via a web form or API that feeds into MailMessage) can exploit this to redirect email copies, spoof headers, or tamper with message structure. The impacted component is io.vertx:vertx-mail-client.

At a glance

Exploitability

Can be exploited over the network without logging in. Limited direct impact.

Exploit odds

0.3% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days (EPSS).

Fix

A patch, advisory or fixed version is referenced. Upgrade or apply it.

Timeline

1. 2026-10-14 19:17 UTC PublishedDisclosed publicly on CVE.org and NVD
2. 2026-10-20 19:32 UTC Last updatedMost recent change to the record

Details

Published

2026-10-14 19:17 UTC

Last modified

2026-10-20 19:32 UTC

Exploit probability

0.3% · EPSS, next 30 days

Weakness

CWE-93

Record status

Analyzed

Affected

• Eclipse vert.x < 4.5.35
• Eclipse vert.x < 5.1.10
• Eclipse vert.x 5.2.0

Attack profile CVSS 4.0 · 6.9

Attack vector

Network

Complexity

Low

Attack requirements

None

Privileges needed

None

User interaction

None

Confidentiality

None

Integrity

Low

Availability

None