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Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2019-17133

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2019-10-04
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 3.16.77 / 4.4.198 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Public exploit Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click Patch available

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
In the Linux kernel through 5.3.2, cfg80211_mgd_wext_giwessid in net/wireless/wext-sme.c does not reject a long SSID IE, leading to a Buffer Overflow.

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
How this class of weakness works · CWE-120

A fixed-size buffer is filled without checking the length of the incoming data, so it overflows into neighbouring memory. This is the classic overflow attackers use to overwrite return addresses and hijack execution. The fix is strict length checks and safe, bounded string and memory functions.

General guidance for the classic buffer overflow class — the official description and references above are authoritative for this specific CVE. Want a bespoke review and a reviewed fix? Ask our team →

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
Linux KernelOperating system
Affected:>= 2.6.32, < 3.16.77>= 3.17, < 4.4.198>= 4.5, < 4.9.198>= 4.10, < 4.14.151>= 4.15, < 4.19.81>= 4.20, < 5.3.8
Debian LinuxOperating system
Affected:= 8.0
Ubuntu LinuxOperating system
Affected:= 14.04= 16.04= 18.04= 19.04
LeapOperating system
Affected:= 15.1

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

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 3.16.77 / 4.4.198 / 4.9.198 or later
Fixed in 3.16.774.4.1984.9.198
Vendor patch marc.info →
Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to Linux kernel 4.14.151 or later (or 4.9.198 / 4.4.198 / 3.16.77 depending on your kernel branch). For Ubuntu/Debian systems, apply all available security updates via 'sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get upgrade'

  1. 1. Identify the currently running kernel version using 'uname -r'
  2. 2. Check if your distribution provides a newer kernel package through your package manager (apt-get update && apt-cache search linux-image for Debian/Ubuntu, or zypper for openSUSE)
  3. 3. For Ubuntu/Debian: Run 'sudo apt-get install linux-image-<version>' to install a fixed kernel (minimum 4.14.151, 4.9.198, 4.4.198, or 3.16.77 depending on your base)
  4. 4. For openSUSE Leap: Run 'sudo zypper update kernel-default' to get the patched version
  5. 5. After installation, reboot the system to load the fixed kernel: 'sudo reboot'
  6. 6. Verify the fix by running 'uname -r' and confirming the version is >= the fixed release for your branch
Caveat Kernel upgrades may require rebuilding third-party kernel modules (like NVIDIA/AMD drivers) and could introduce compatibility issues with older kernel modules or specific hardware drivers

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

We can perform the upgrade in your staging environment and verify nothing breaks — typical engagement from $3,550. Get the upgrade done

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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-2019-17133 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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