CVE-2019-18849
In tnef before 1.4.18, an attacker may be able to write to the victim's .ssh/authorized_keys file...
In tnef before 1.4.18, an attacker may be able to write to the victim's .ssh/authorized_keys file via an e-mail message with a crafted winmail.dat application/ms-tnef attachment, because of a heap-based buffer over-read involving strdup.
Attack profile
How easy it is to exploit
- Attack vector
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges needed
- None
- User interaction
- Required
What an attacker can affect
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
Exploit likelihood
What each source reports
NVD Score used
5.5
In tnef before 1.4.18, an attacker may be able to write to the victim's .ssh/authorized_keys file via an e-mail message with a crafted winmail.dat application/ms-tnef attachment, because of a heap-based buffer over-read involving strdup.
- Record
CVE-2019-18849- CVSS 3.1
- 5.5 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - CVSS 2.0
- 4.3 Medium
AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:P - Weakness
- CWE-125
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
CVE List No score
In tnef before 1.4.18, an attacker may be able to write to the victim's .ssh/authorized_keys file via an e-mail message with a crafted winmail.dat application/ms-tnef attachment, because of a heap-based buffer over-read involving strdup.
- Record
CVE-2019-18849- Updated
- 2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2019-8547 No score
In tnef before 1.4.18, an attacker may be able to write to the victim's .ssh/authorized_keys file via an e-mail message with a crafted winmail.dat application/ms-tnef attachment, because of a heap-based buffer over-read involving strdup.
- Record
EUVD-2019-8547- Updated
- 2026-11-03
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-cq6j-h35c-x8gr
5.5
In tnef before 1.4.18, an attacker may be able to write to the victim's .ssh/authorized_keys file...
In tnef before 1.4.18, an attacker may be able to write to the victim's .ssh/authorized_keys file via an e-mail message with a crafted winmail.dat application/ms-tnef attachment, because of a heap-based buffer over-read involving strdup.
- Record
GHSA-cq6j-h35c-x8gr- CVSS 3.1
- 5.5 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - Weakness
- CWE-125
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSV
5.5
In tnef before 1.4.18, an attacker may be able to write to the victim's .ssh/authorized_keys file via an e-mail message with a crafted winmail.dat application/ms-tnef attachment, because of a heap-based buffer over-read involving strdup.
- Record
CVE-2019-18849- CVSS 3.1
- 5.5 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVDEBIAN-CVE-2019-18849
5.5
In tnef before 1.4.18, an attacker may be able to write to the victim's .ssh/authorized_keys file via an e-mail message with a crafted winmail.dat application/ms-tnef attachment, because of a heap-based buffer over-read involving strdup.
- Record
DEBIAN-CVE-2019-18849- CVSS 3.1
- 5.5 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVUBUNTU-CVE-2019-18849
5.5
In tnef before 1.4.18, an attacker may be able to write to the victim's .ssh/authorized_keys file via an e-mail message with a crafted winmail.dat application/ms-tnef attachment, because of a heap-based buffer over-read involving strdup.
- Record
UBUNTU-CVE-2019-18849- CVSS 3.1
- 5.5 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVMGASA-2019-0367 No score
Updated tnef packages fix security vulnerability
Updated tnef package fixes security vulnerability:
In tnef, an attacker may be able to write to the victim's .ssh/authorized_keys file via an e-mail message with a crafted winmail.dat application/ms-tnef attachment, because of a heap-based buffer over-read involving strdup (CVE-2019-18849).
- Record
MGASA-2019-0367- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVUSN-4524-1 No score
tnef vulnerabilities
Paul Dreik discovered that TNEF incorrectly handled filenames. If a user were tricked into opening a specially crafted email attachment, an attacker could possibly use this issue to write arbitrary files to the filesystem or cause TNEF crash, resulting in a denial of service. (CVE-2019-18849)
- Record
USN-4524-1- Updated
- 2026-11-02
Affected products
Affected packages
| Package | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|
tnefDebian:12 |
before 1.4.18-1 | 1.4.18-1 |
tnefDebian:13 |
before 1.4.18-1 | 1.4.18-1 |
tnefDebian:14 |
before 1.4.18-1 | 1.4.18-1 |
tnefDebian:8 |
before 1.4.9-1+deb8u4, plus listed versions 1.4.9-11.4.9-1+deb8u11.4.9-1+deb8u21.4.9-1+deb8u3 |
1.4.9-1+deb8u4 |
tnefDebian:9 |
before 1.4.12-1.2+deb9u1, plus listed versions 1.4.12-1.2 |
1.4.12-1.2+deb9u1 |
tnefMageia:7 |
before 1.4.18-1.mga7 | 1.4.18-1.mga7 |
tnefUbuntu:16.04:LTS |
before 1.4.9-1+deb8u4build0.16.04.1, plus listed versions 1.4.9-11.4.9-1+deb8u2build0.16.04.11.4.9-1+deb8u3build0.16.04.1 |
1.4.9-1+deb8u4build0.16.04.1 |
tnefUbuntu:18.04:LTS |
All versions, plus listed versions 1.4.12-1.2 |
None known |
History
| Recorded | Changed | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| aliases | EUVD | |
| first indexed | CVE List, GitHub Advisories, NVD, OSV |
Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.
In short
CVE-2019-18849 is a medium vulnerability (CVSS 5.5) in Tnef Project Tnef, published November 11, 2019. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 1.21%, the 68th percentile. Fixed in tnef 1.4.18-1.
References
github.com/verdammelt/tnef/pull/40
github.com/verdammelt/tnef/compare/1.4.17...1.4.18
lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2019/11/msg00035.html
lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/RMKFSHPMOZL7MDWU5RYOTIBTRWSZ4Z6X
lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/W7CPKBW4QZ4VIY4UXIUVUSHRJ4R2FROE
usn.ubuntu.com/4524-1
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lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2021/08/msg00025.html
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-18849
lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/[email protected]/message/RMKFSHPMOZL7MDWU5RYOTIBTRWSZ4Z6X
lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/[email protected]/message/W7CPKBW4QZ4VIY4UXIUVUSHRJ4R2FROE
github.com/advisories/GHSA-cq6j-h35c-x8gr
security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2019-18849
advisories.mageia.org/MGASA-2019-0367.html
bugs.mageia.org/show_bug.cgi?id=25785
debian.org/lts/security/2019/dla-2005
ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2019-18849
ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-4524-1
cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-18849