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TightvncApplication

CVE-2019-15679

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2019-10-29
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
TightVNC code version 1.3.10 contains heap buffer overflow in InitialiseRFBConnection function, which can potentially result code execution. This attack appear to be exploitable via network connectivity.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

Heap buffer overflow vulnerability in TightVNC 1.3.10's InitialiseRFBConnection function allows remote attackers to achieve code execution via network connectivity through malformed RFB protocol handshake messages.

MitigationUpgrade TightVNC to a patched version; if unavailable, disable the VNC service or restrict network exposure to trusted clients only.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
TightvncApplication
Affected:= 1.3.10

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

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

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Confirm TightVNC installation and version
    Check the installed TightVNC version. On Windows, open Control Panel > Programs and Features, or run: reg query 'HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\TightVNC' /v DisplayVersion. On Linux, run: dpkg -l | grep tightvnc or rpm -qa | grep tightvnc
    Affected if The installed version is exactly 1.3.10
  2. Verify VNC server service is running
    On Windows, open Services (services.msc) and check for 'TightVNC Server' service status, or run: sc query tvnserver. On Linux, run: systemctl status vncserver or ps aux | grep vnc
    Affected if The TightVNC server service is installed and running
  3. Check if VNC listener is bound to network interfaces
    Run netstat -an | findstr :5900 or ss -tlnp | grep 5900 to see if TightVNC is listening on TCP port 5900 (or other VNC ports). Check if it is bound to 0.0.0.0 (all interfaces) vs 127.0.0.1 (localhost only)
    Affected if The VNC service is listening on a non-loopback interface (0.0.0.0 or external IP)

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade TightVNC to a patched version; if unavailable, disable the VNC service or restrict network exposure to trusted clients only.

Fix this in Tightvnc Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,040
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2019-15679 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data