How severe is CVE-2019-18276?

CVE-2019-18276 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.8, rated high severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2019-18276 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 3% (84th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2019-18276?

CVE-2019-18276 primarily affects Gnu Bash. In total, 19 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2019-18276?

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-2019-18276 published?

CVE-2019-18276 was published on 2019-11-28 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2019-18276

CVE-2019-18276 is a high-severity vulnerability in Gnu Bash with a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.8. 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-273.

Key facts

Severity: High (CVSS 3.x base score 7.8)
CVSS v2: 7.2
EPSS exploit prediction: 3% (84th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-273
Affected product: Gnu Bash
Published: 2019-11-28
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

An issue was discovered in disable_priv_mode in shell.c in GNU Bash through 5.0 patch 11. By default, if Bash is run with its effective UID not equal to its real UID, it will drop privileges by setting its effective UID to its real UID. However, it does so incorrectly. On Linux and other systems that support "saved UID" functionality, the saved UID is not dropped. An attacker with command execution in the shell can use "enable -f" for runtime loading of a new builtin, which can be a shared object that calls setuid() and therefore regains privileges. However, binaries running with an effective UID of 0 are unaffected.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2019-18276?: An issue was discovered in disable_priv_mode in shell.c in GNU Bash through 5.0 patch 11. By default, if Bash is run with its effective UID not equal to its real UID, it will drop privileges by setting its effective UID to its real UID. However, it does so incorrectly. On Linux and other systems that support "saved UID" functionality, the saved UID is not dropped. An attacker with command execution in the shell can use "enable -f" for runtime loading of a new builtin, which can be a shared object that calls setuid() and therefore regains privileges. However, binaries running with an effective UID of 0 are unaffected.
How severe is CVE-2019-18276?: CVE-2019-18276 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.8, rated high severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2019-18276 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 3% (84th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2019-18276?: CVE-2019-18276 primarily affects Gnu Bash. In total, 19 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2019-18276?: 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-2019-18276 published?: CVE-2019-18276 was published on 2019-11-28 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (19)

cpe:2.3:a:gnu:bash:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:gnu:bash:5.0:beta1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:gnu:bash:5.0:beta2:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:gnu:bash:5.0:patch1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:gnu:bash:5.0:patch10:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:gnu:bash:5.0:patch11:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:gnu:bash:5.0:patch2:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:gnu:bash:5.0:patch3:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:gnu:bash:5.0:patch4:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:gnu:bash:5.0:patch5:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:gnu:bash:5.0:patch6:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:gnu:bash:5.0:patch7:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:gnu:bash:5.0:patch8:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:gnu:bash:5.0:patch9:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:gnu:bash:5.0:rc1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:netapp:hci_management_node:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:netapp:oncommand_unified_manager:*:*:*:*:*:vmware_vsphere:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:netapp:solidfire:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:oracle:communications_cloud_native_core_policy:1.14.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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