dbcve.org
Joomla\!Application · Joomla

CVE-2019-19845

MEDIUM · 5.3 CVSS v3.1 Published 2019-12-18
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 3.9.14 or later.
See remediation →
62/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
In Joomla! before 3.9.14, a missing access check in framework files could lead to a path disclosure.

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 · moderate confidence

A missing access control check in Joomla! framework files before version 3.9.14 allows unauthenticated remote attackers to potentially discover sensitive file system paths through direct access to certain unprotected framework files.

MitigationUpgrade Joomla! installation to version 3.9.14 or later to apply the access control fix, and verify that framework files are not directly accessible via web requests.

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
Joomla\!Application
Affected:>= 3.8.0, < 3.9.14

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
Low
Integrity
None
Availability
None

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

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. Determine installed Joomla version
    Locate the version.php file in your Joomla installation (typically at /libraries/src/Version.php or check the administrator manifest files) and read the VERSION constant, or access the administrator backend and check Help > System Information
    Affected if The installed version is 3.8.0 through 3.9.13 (any version >= 3.8.0 but < 3.9.14)
  2. Verify framework file accessibility
    Attempt to access common Joomla framework files directly via HTTP/HTTPS from an external host or use a web vulnerability scanner to probe framework paths such as /libraries/src/ or similar framework directories
    Affected if Framework files respond with HTTP 200 and expose file system paths or sensitive information without requiring authentication
  3. Check for path disclosure responses
    Send direct requests to any accessible framework PHP files and examine the response for absolute file paths, directory structures, or configuration details that should not be publicly visible
    Affected if Requests return error messages, stack traces, or responses containing absolute file system paths

You are affected if your Joomla installation version is 3.8.0 through 3.9.13 AND framework files are directly accessible via web requests, allowing unauthenticated attackers to discover sensitive paths.

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to 3.9.14 or later
Fixed in 3.9.14
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Joomla! installation to version 3.9.14 or later to apply the access control fix, and verify that framework files are not directly accessible via web requests.

Fix this in Joomla\! Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
7.0 hours of engineering $1,240
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,984.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2019-19845 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2019-19845 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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.

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