Skip to content
Noroxi
NVD / CVE Program· CNA mitre

CVE-2019-19221: In Libarchive 3.4.0, archive_wstring_append_from_mbs in archive_string.c has an out-of-bounds read because of an incorrect mbrtowc or mbtowc

Noroxi assessment

Priority: Monitor (action score 22/100)

  • The sources we track (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, Metasploit, Nuclei, GitHub) show no public exploit code or exploitation in the wild.
  • Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 0.65% (FIRST EPSS); higher than 50.8% of all records.
  • Someone with local access to the system can trigger it. No account or password is required. A user must open a link or visit a page. No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
  • Fixed version: libarchive-devel (AlmaLinux:8) 3.3.2-9.el8; libarchive (Alpine:v3.13) 3.4.2-r0; libarchive (Debian:10) 3.3.3-4+deb10u2.

Low priority for now. Upgrade to libarchive-devel (AlmaLinux:8) 3.3.2-9.el8; libarchive (Alpine:v3.13) 3.4.2-r0; libarchive (Debian:10) 3.3.3-4+deb10u2 or later.

Generated automatically from the record's data: CVSS (NVD and CNA), CISA KEV and SSVC, FIRST EPSS, exploit sources, fixed versions. How we calculate it

Primary sources: NVD · CVE.org · FIRST EPSS

In Libarchive 3.4.0, archive_wstring_append_from_mbs in archive_string.c has an out-of-bounds read because of an incorrect mbrtowc or mbtowc call. For example, bsdtar crashes via a crafted archive.

MediumCVSS 5.5 · v3.1—No exploit Fix available
Published
Nov 21, 2019
Updated
Jun 16, 2026
EPSS
0.6% · 50th percentile

Report tools

JSON

Action score

22

Monitor

Low priority for now.

CVSS
22 / 40 · 5.5 / 10
CISA KEV
0 / 30 · Not listed
EPSS
0 / 30 · 0.6%

Get told when this record changes

  • Not in KEV: no record of exploitation in the wild
  • No public exploit code on record
  • A fix has been released

If any of these changes, we'll tell you in the daily email digest.

Follow CVE-2019-19221

When you'll hear from us

  • when it enters CISA KEV
  • when exploit code appears or is weaponized
  • when the record is updated (including a fixed version)
  • when EPSS rises 20 points in a week

One daily email digest (06:00 UTC); connect a webhook for KEV listings and weaponized exploits instantly.

Your free account also gets you

Running WordPress? Scan your site free with WP Lens

  • Stack alerts: add the products and versions you run, get the new CVEs that affect them
  • Uptime monitoring: 1 site, instant email when it goes down
  • Add your domain: subdomains and takeover risk scanned every week (1 domain)
  • 10 scans an hour on the security tools (3 a day without an account), an API key and MCP
  • All your scans in one panel: findings, what changed in the last scan, a report per domain or per client (PDF, share link)
All free tools

Sign up with email · Have an account? Sign in

Free account, no card. Unfollow any time.

Don't want an account? Get "Exploited this week" by email every MondayDon't want an account? RSS feed for libarchive records

Running WordPress? Scan your site free with WP Lens

Is your version affected? Check it

Noroxi analysis

What does it mean in your environment?

The assessment above is generated automatically from the record's data; it doesn't know your environment. Our team verifies on your systems whether this vulnerability is actually exploitable and which mitigation is enough.

We use this product, ask for help

Affected systems

Is your version affected?

Pick the product and type the version you run. It's compared with this record's version ranges in your browser; the version isn't sent anywhere.

VendorProduct
libarchivelibarchive
debiandebian linux
fedoraprojectfedora
canonicalubuntu linux

Affected versions

NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.

  • canonical ubuntu linux16.04
  • canonical ubuntu linux18.04
  • canonical ubuntu linux19.10
  • debian debian linux10.0
  • debian debian linux9.0
  • fedoraproject fedora32
  • libarchive libarchive3.4.0

Package-level exposure

OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.

EcosystemPackageAffected rangeFix
AlmaLinux:8libarchive-develbefore 3.3.2-9.el83.3.2-9.el8
Alpine:v3.13libarchivebefore 3.4.2-r03.4.2-r0
Debian:10libarchivebefore 3.3.3-4+deb10u23.3.3-4+deb10u2
Debian:12libarchivebefore 3.4.2-13.4.2-1
Debian:9libarchivebefore 3.2.2-2+deb9u33.2.2-2+deb9u3
openSUSE:Tumbleweedbsdtarbefore 3.5.1-1.53.5.1-1.5
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::baseosbsdcat-debuginfobefore 0:3.3.2-9.el80:3.3.2-9.el8
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::baseosbsdcpio-debuginfobefore 0:3.3.2-9.el80:3.3.2-9.el8
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::baseosbsdtarbefore 0:3.3.2-9.el80:3.3.2-9.el8
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::baseosbsdtar-debuginfobefore 0:3.3.2-9.el80:3.3.2-9.el8
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::baseoslibarchivebefore 0:3.3.2-9.el80:3.3.2-9.el8
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::baseoslibarchive-debuginfobefore 0:3.3.2-9.el80:3.3.2-9.el8
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::baseoslibarchive-debugsourcebefore 0:3.3.2-9.el80:3.3.2-9.el8
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::crblibarchive-develbefore 0:3.3.2-9.el80:3.3.2-9.el8
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Software Development Kit 12 SP5libarchivebefore 3.3.3-32.5.13.3.3-32.5.1

Same product

libarchive: all records

Other highest-scoring records for the same primary product.

  • CVE-2024-26256Libarchive Remote Code Execution Vulnerability
    57Plan
  • CVE-2022-36227In libarchive before 3.6.2, the software does not check for an error after calling calloc function that can return with a NULL pointer if th
    40Plan
  • CVE-2016-1541Heap-based buffer overflow in the zip_read_mac_metadata function in archive_read_support_format_zip.c in libarchive before 3.2.0 allows remo
    38Monitor

Published before and after this one in the same product

  • ← EarlierCVE-2019-11463Apr 22, 2019 · A memory leak in archive_read_format_zip_cleanup in archive_read_support_format_zip.c in libarchive 3.3.4-dev allows remote attackers to cau
    22Monitor
  • ← EarlierCVE-2019-18408Oct 24, 2019 · archive_read_format_rar_read_data in archive_read_support_format_rar.c in libarchive before 3.4.0 has a use-after-free in a certain ARCHIVE_
    31Monitor
  • Later →CVE-2020-9308Feb 20, 2020 · archive_read_support_format_rar5.c in libarchive before 3.4.2 attempts to unpack a RAR5 file with an invalid or corrupted header (such as a
    36Monitor

Remediation

Which version to upgrade to

Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.

Product / packageFixed versionSource
almalinux:libarchive-devel3.3.2-9.el8 · AlmaLinux:8Package registry (OSV)
alpine:libarchive3.4.2-r0 · Alpine:v3.13Package registry (OSV)
debian:libarchive3.4.2-1 · Debian:12Package registry (OSV)
opensuse:bsdtar3.5.1-1.5 · openSUSE:TumbleweedPackage registry (OSV)
red hat:bsdcat-debuginfo0:3.3.2-9.el8 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::baseosPackage registry (OSV)
red hat:bsdcpio-debuginfo0:3.3.2-9.el8 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::baseosPackage registry (OSV)
red hat:bsdtar0:3.3.2-9.el8 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::baseosPackage registry (OSV)
red hat:bsdtar-debuginfo0:3.3.2-9.el8 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::baseosPackage registry (OSV)
red hat:libarchive0:3.3.2-9.el8 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::baseosPackage registry (OSV)
red hat:libarchive-debuginfo0:3.3.2-9.el8 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::baseosPackage registry (OSV)
red hat:libarchive-debugsource0:3.3.2-9.el8 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::baseosPackage registry (OSV)
red hat:libarchive-devel0:3.3.2-9.el8 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::crbPackage registry (OSV)
suse:libarchive3.3.3-32.5.1 · SUSE:Linux Enterprise Software Development Kit 12 SP5Package registry (OSV)

Exploit status

No known public exploit

No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.

Research context

For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.

Timeline

From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.

No dated events beyond publication.

EPSS, last 120 days

FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).

Patch and commit links

Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.

Credits

All researchers

Finders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.

No credits in the CNA record.

Variant candidates

Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.

No nightly-computed relations.

Chain candidates

An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.

—

Bug bounty scope

No known public program.

Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).

Technical details

Attack conditions

  • Someone with local access to the system can trigger it.
  • No account or password is required.
  • A user must open a link or visit a page.
  • No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.

If successful

Confidentiality
none
Integrity
none
Availability
high · the service can be disrupted
Attack vector
Local
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality impact
None
Integrity impact
None
Availability impact
High

Weakness class (CWE)

CWE-125 · Out-of-bounds Read

CVSS vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

nvd-primary

Attack context

MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.

ATT&CK techniques

—

Change log

  1. Fix✗ → ✓

For records you follow, these changes also arrive as notifications. →

References

Show all references (4 more)

Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.

All records