CVE-2019-18196
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 · uneditedA DLL side loading vulnerability in the Windows Service in TeamViewer versions up to 11.0.133222 (fixed in 11.0.214397), 12.0.181268 (fixed in 12.0.214399), 13.2.36215 (fixed in 13.2.36216), and 14.6.4835 (fixed in 14.7.1965) on Windows could allow an attacker to perform code execution on a target system via a service restart where the DLL was previously installed with administrative privileges. Exploitation requires that an attacker be able to create a new file in the TeamViewer application directory; directory permissions restrict that by default.
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 confidenceA DLL side-loading vulnerability exists in the TeamViewer Windows service where it loads DLLs from the application directory without proper validation. An attacker who has previously installed a malicious DLL with administrative privileges can achieve code execution when the TeamViewer service restarts.
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< 11.0.214397>= 12.0.0, < 12.0.214399>= 13.0.0, < 13.2.36216>= 14.0.0, < 14.7.1965CVSS 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
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- High
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
-
Find installed TeamViewer versionOpen TeamViewer, click Help > About TeamViewer, or check the registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\TeamViewer\VersionAffected if The version displayed is less than 11.0.214397, or between 12.0.0 and 12.0.214399, between 13.0.0 and 13.2.36216, or between 14.0.0 and 14.7.1965
-
Verify TeamViewer service is configuredOpen Services (services.msc), locate the TeamViewer service, and check its Status and Startup typeAffected if The service is set to start automatically (Automatic) regardless of current running state, as the vulnerability triggers on service restart
-
Check TeamViewer directory permissionsRight-click the TeamViewer installation directory (typically C:\Program Files\TeamViewer or C:\Program Files (x86)\TeamViewer), select Properties > Security, and review which users have Write permissionAffected if Non-administrative users or groups have Write or Write & Execute permissions to this directory, allowing them to place a malicious DLL
-
Inspect for unknown DLLs in TeamViewer folderNavigate to the TeamViewer installation directory and list all .dll files, noting any that are unfamiliar or were recently addedAffected if Any unexpected DLL files are present in the directory, which could indicate exploitation attempt
You are affected if your installed TeamViewer version falls within any of the vulnerable ranges AND the TeamViewer service is set to start automatically AND non-admin users have write access to the application directory.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 data11.0.21439712.0.21439913.2.36216
Upgrade TeamViewer to the fixed versions (11.0.214397, 12.0.214399, 13.2.36216, or 14.7.1965) or restrict write permissions on the TeamViewer application directory to prevent unauthorized DLL placement.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation3.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,272.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2019-18196 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2019-18196 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
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.
- 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