How severe is CVE-2019-16188?

CVE-2019-16188 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.1, rated high severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity none, and availability high.

Is CVE-2019-16188 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (52nd percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2019-16188?

CVE-2019-16188 affects Hcltech Appscan Source. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.

How do I fix CVE-2019-16188?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.

When was CVE-2019-16188 published?

CVE-2019-16188 was published on 2019-09-25 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2019-16188

CVE-2019-16188 is a high-severity vulnerability in Hcltech Appscan Source with a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.1. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-611.

Key facts

Severity: High (CVSS 3.x base score 7.1)
CVSS v2: 5.8
EPSS exploit prediction: 1% (52nd percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-611
Affected product: Hcltech Appscan Source
Published: 2019-09-25
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

HCL AppScan Source before 9.03.13 is susceptible to XML External Entity (XXE) attacks in multiple locations. In particular, an attacker can send a specially crafted .ozasmt file to a targeted victim and ask the victim to open it. When the victim imports the .ozasmt file in AppScan Source, the content of any file in the local file system (to which the victim as read access) can be exfiltrated to a remote listener under the attacker's control. The product does not disable external XML Entity Processing, which can lead to information disclosure and denial of services attacks.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2019-16188?: HCL AppScan Source before 9.03.13 is susceptible to XML External Entity (XXE) attacks in multiple locations. In particular, an attacker can send a specially crafted .ozasmt file to a targeted victim and ask the victim to open it. When the victim imports the .ozasmt file in AppScan Source, the content of any file in the local file system (to which the victim as read access) can be exfiltrated to a remote listener under the attacker's control. The product does not disable external XML Entity Processing, which can lead to information disclosure and denial of services attacks.
How severe is CVE-2019-16188?: CVE-2019-16188 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.1, rated high severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity none, and availability high.
Is CVE-2019-16188 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (52nd percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2019-16188?: CVE-2019-16188 affects Hcltech Appscan Source. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2019-16188?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2019-16188 published?: CVE-2019-16188 was published on 2019-09-25 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

https://hclpnpsupport.hcltech.com/csm?id=kb_article&sys_id=0812a9961b0c885077761fc58d4bcb06

Affected products (1)

cpe:2.3:a:hcltech:appscan_source:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Hcltech Appscan Source

CVE-2024-30149 — Medium (CVSS 4.8): HCL AppScan Source <= 10.6.0 does not properly validate a TLS/SSL certificate for an executable.
CVE-2019-4388 — Medium (CVSS 4.8): HCL AppScan Source 9.0.3.13 and earlier is susceptible to cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks by allowing users to embed…

All CVEs affecting Hcltech Appscan Source →

Other CWE-611 (Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference (XXE)) vulnerabilities

CVE-2022-22486 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): IBM Tivoli Workload Scheduler 9.4, 9.5, and 10.1 is vulnerable to an XML External Entity Injection (XXE) attack when…
CVE-2019-14678 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): SAS XML Mapper 9.45 has an XML External Entity (XXE) vulnerability that can be leveraged by malicious attackers in…
CVE-2015-9280 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): MailEnable before 8.60 allows XXE via an XML document in the request.aspx Options parameter.
CVE-2018-1000838 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): autopsy version <= 4.9.0 contains a XML External Entity (XXE) vulnerability in CaseMetadata XML Parser that can result…
CVE-2018-1000837 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): UML Designer version <= 8.0.0 contains a XML External Entity (XXE) vulnerability in XML parser for plugins that can…
CVE-2018-1000835 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): KeePassDX version <= 2.5.0.0beta17 contains a XML External Entity (XXE) vulnerability in kdbx file parser that can…

Browse all CWE-611 (Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference (XXE)) vulnerabilities →