CVE-2019-5057
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 code execution vulnerability exists in the PCX image-rendering functionality of SDL2_image 2.0.4. A specially crafted PCX image can cause a heap overflow, resulting in code execution. An attacker can display a specially crafted image to trigger this vulnerability.
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 confidenceSDL2_image 2.0.4 contains a heap overflow vulnerability in its PCX image parsing code. When rendering a specially crafted PCX file with malformed data, the parser fails to perform proper bounds checking, allowing heap memory corruption that can be leveraged for arbitrary code execution.
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= 2.0.4= 15.0= 15.0= 15.1CVSS 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
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/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 SDL2_image library versionOn Linux, run 'pkg-config --modversion SDL2_image' or check the shared library with 'ldd' if your application links to SDL2_image. On Windows, inspect the 'SDL2_image.dll' file properties or use a PE viewer. If installed via package manager, check with 'rpm -q libsdl2-image' (openSUSE) or 'dpkg -l libsdl2-image' (Debian).Affected if The version is exactly 2.0.4 or if the package version matches openSUSE Leap 15.0 or 15.1 (which ship the vulnerable 2.0.4 version).
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Confirm PCX image support is compiled inVerify that your SDL2_image build includes PCX support by checking for the presence of IMG_LoadPCX or related PCX loading functions. This is typically built-in by default in SDL2_image. You can also check the library symbols with 'nm -D libSDL2_image.so | grep -i pcx' on Linux.Affected if PCX support is enabled (which is the default state in standard SDL2_image builds).
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Determine if your application loads PCX filesSearch your codebase for calls to IMG_Load, IMG_LoadTyped_RW, or IMG_LoadPCX where a PCX file might be passed. Review any image loading paths that accept user-supplied file names or image data. Check logs or usage patterns for .pcx file extensions being processed.Affected if Your application or library loads PCX format images from any source, especially untrusted or user-supplied files.
You are affected if you are running SDL2_image version 2.0.4 (or the openSUSE Leap/Backports SLE 15.x packages that contain it) and your application processes PCX image files.
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 dataUpgrade to a patched version of SDL2_image. Until patched, avoid opening PCX images from untrusted sources and implement image file validation before passing to SDL2_image.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing5.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2019-5057 — 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-2019-5057 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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