How severe is CVE-2019-17544?

CVE-2019-17544 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.1, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity none, and availability high.

Is CVE-2019-17544 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 3% (87th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2019-17544?

CVE-2019-17544 primarily affects Gnu Aspell. In total, 6 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2019-17544?

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

When was CVE-2019-17544 published?

CVE-2019-17544 was published on 2019-10-14 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2019-17544

CVE-2019-17544 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Gnu Aspell with a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.1. 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-125.

Key facts

Severity: Critical (CVSS 3.x base score 9.1)
CVSS v2: 6.4
EPSS exploit prediction: 3% (87th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-125
Affected product: Gnu Aspell
Published: 2019-10-14
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

libaspell.a in GNU Aspell before 0.60.8 has a stack-based buffer over-read in acommon::unescape in common/getdata.cpp via an isolated \ character.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2019-17544?: libaspell.a in GNU Aspell before 0.60.8 has a stack-based buffer over-read in acommon::unescape in common/getdata.cpp via an isolated \ character.
How severe is CVE-2019-17544?: CVE-2019-17544 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.1, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity none, and availability high.
Is CVE-2019-17544 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 3% (87th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2019-17544?: CVE-2019-17544 primarily affects Gnu Aspell. In total, 6 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2019-17544?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its critical severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2019-17544 published?: CVE-2019-17544 was published on 2019-10-14 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (6)

cpe:2.3:a:gnu:aspell:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:12.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:14.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:16.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:18.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:19.04:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Gnu Aspell

CVE-2019-20433 — Critical (CVSS 9.1): libaspell.a in GNU Aspell before 0.60.8 has a buffer over-read for a string ending with a single '\0' byte, if the…
CVE-2019-25051 — High (CVSS 7.8): objstack in GNU Aspell 0.60.8 has a heap-based buffer overflow in acommon::ObjStack::dup_top (called from…
CVE-2004-0548 — High (CVSS 7.2): Multiple stack-based buffer overflows in the word-list-compress functionality in compress.c for Aspell allow local…

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