How severe is CVE-2019-20916?

CVE-2019-20916 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.5, rated high severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity high, and availability none.

Is CVE-2019-20916 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 3% (86th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2019-20916?

CVE-2019-20916 primarily affects Pypa Pip. In total, 7 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2019-20916?

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-2019-20916 published?

CVE-2019-20916 was published on 2020-09-04 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2019-20916

CVE-2019-20916 is a high-severity vulnerability in Pypa Pip with a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.5. 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-22.

Key facts

Severity: High (CVSS 3.x base score 7.5)
CVSS v2: 5.0
EPSS exploit prediction: 3% (86th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-22
Affected product: Pypa Pip
Published: 2020-09-04
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

The pip package before 19.2 for Python allows Directory Traversal when a URL is given in an install command, because a Content-Disposition header can have ../ in a filename, as demonstrated by overwriting the /root/.ssh/authorized_keys file. This occurs in _download_http_url in _internal/download.py.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2019-20916?: The pip package before 19.2 for Python allows Directory Traversal when a URL is given in an install command, because a Content-Disposition header can have ../ in a filename, as demonstrated by overwriting the /root/.ssh/authorized_keys file. This occurs in _download_http_url in _internal/download.py.
How severe is CVE-2019-20916?: CVE-2019-20916 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.5, rated high severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity high, and availability none.
Is CVE-2019-20916 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 3% (86th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2019-20916?: CVE-2019-20916 primarily affects Pypa Pip. In total, 7 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2019-20916?: 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-2019-20916 published?: CVE-2019-20916 was published on 2020-09-04 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (7)

cpe:2.3:a:pypa:pip:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:opensuse:leap:15.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:opensuse:leap:15.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:9.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:oracle:communications_cloud_native_core_network_function_cloud_native_environment:1.10.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:oracle:communications_cloud_native_core_network_function_cloud_native_environment:22.1.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:oracle:communications_cloud_native_core_policy:1.15.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Pypa Pip

CVE-2018-20225 — High (CVSS 7.8): An issue was discovered in pip (all versions) because it installs the version with the highest version number, even if…
CVE-2013-1629 — Medium (CVSS 6.8): pip before 1.3 uses HTTP to retrieve packages from the PyPI repository, and does not perform integrity checks on…
CVE-2013-5123 — Medium (CVSS 5.9): The mirroring support (-M, --use-mirrors) in Python Pip before 1.5 uses insecure DNS querying and authenticity checks…
CVE-2021-3572 — Medium (CVSS 5.7): A flaw was found in python-pip in the way it handled Unicode separators in git references. A remote attacker could…
CVE-2026-8643 — Medium (CVSS 5.5): pip would treat console_scripts and gui_scripts as paths instead of file names without sanitizing the resolved absolute…
CVE-2023-5752 — Medium (CVSS 5.5): When installing a package from a Mercurial VCS URL (ie "pip install hg+...") with pip prior to v23.3, the specified…

All CVEs affecting Pypa Pip →

Other CWE-22 (Path Traversal) vulnerabilities

CVE-2026-48282 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): ColdFusion versions 2025.9, 2023.20 and earlier are affected by an Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted…
CVE-2026-54917 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): SeaweedFS is a distributed storage system for object storage (S3), file systems, and Iceberg tables. Prior to 4.30, the…
CVE-2026-11429 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Two endpoints in the Vault Service ScriptsController, shared by Altium Enterprise Server and Altium 365, accept file…
CVE-2026-34909 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): A malicious actor with access to the network could exploit a Path Traversal vulnerability found in UniFi OS devices to…
CVE-2026-7411 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): In Eclipse BaSyx Java Server SDK versions prior to 2.0.0-milestone-10, inadequate path normalization in the Submodel…
CVE-2026-36767 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): A path traversal vulnerability in the /content/images/add endpoint of shopizer v3.2.5 allows attackers write arbitrary…

Browse all CWE-22 (Path Traversal) vulnerabilities →