CVE-2019-5012
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 · uneditedAn exploitable privilege escalation vulnerability exists in the Wacom, driver version 6.3.32-3, update helper service in the startProcess command. The command takes a user-supplied script argument and executes it under root context. A user with local access can use this vulnerability to raise their privileges to root. An attacker would need local access to the machine for a successful exploit.
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 confidenceThe Wacom driver version 6.3.32-3 contains an update helper service with a startProcess command that accepts user-supplied script arguments and executes them with root (UID 0) privileges. A local attacker with standard user access can provide a malicious script path to this command and achieve privilege escalation to root.
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= 6.3.32-3CVSS 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
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/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.
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Identify the installed Wacom driver versionLocate the Wacom driver installation and retrieve its version number using the system's software inventory or driver properties. On Windows, check in Programs and Features or Device Manager. On macOS, check the Application folder or System Information.Affected if The installed version is exactly 6.3.32-3
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Verify the update helper service is presentSearch for the Wacom update helper service or daemon process running alongside the driver. This may appear as a background process with a name related to Wacom update, helper, or service.Affected if The update helper service exists and is running on the system
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Confirm the service runs with elevated privilegesInspect the service or process properties to determine the user context it executes under. On Unix-like systems, use process inspection tools. On Windows, check the service properties in Services console.Affected if The update helper service runs under root, Administrator, or SYSTEM account context
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Check file permissions on the update helper binaryExamine the file permissions of the update helper executable or script. Verify which system users have write or modify access to this binary or its configuration.Affected if Standard (non-privileged) users have write or modify permissions on the update helper binary or related configuration files
You are affected if the Wacom driver version is exactly 6.3.32-3 and the update helper service is present and running with root or SYSTEM privileges on the system.
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 dataApply the vendor-supplied patch or update to the Wacom driver. If no update is available, disable or remove the update helper service to prevent exploitation.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2019-5012 — 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-2019-5012 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
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- 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
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