How severe is CVE-2019-3820?

CVE-2019-3820 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 4.3, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over physical access with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is low, integrity low, and availability low.

Is CVE-2019-3820 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (39th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2019-3820?

CVE-2019-3820 primarily affects Gnome Gnome-shell. In total, 6 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2019-3820?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.

When was CVE-2019-3820 published?

CVE-2019-3820 was published on 2019-02-06 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2019-3820

CVE-2019-3820 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Gnome Gnome-shell with a CVSS 3.x base score of 4.3. 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-287.

Key facts

Severity: Medium (CVSS 3.x base score 4.3)
CVSS v2: 4.6
EPSS exploit prediction: 0% (39th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-287
Affected product: Gnome Gnome-shell
Published: 2019-02-06
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

It was discovered that the gnome-shell lock screen since version 3.15.91 did not properly restrict all contextual actions. An attacker with physical access to a locked workstation could invoke certain keyboard shortcuts, and potentially other actions.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2019-3820?: It was discovered that the gnome-shell lock screen since version 3.15.91 did not properly restrict all contextual actions. An attacker with physical access to a locked workstation could invoke certain keyboard shortcuts, and potentially other actions.
How severe is CVE-2019-3820?: CVE-2019-3820 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 4.3, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over physical access with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is low, integrity low, and availability low.
Is CVE-2019-3820 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (39th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2019-3820?: CVE-2019-3820 primarily affects Gnome Gnome-shell. In total, 6 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2019-3820?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2019-3820 published?: CVE-2019-3820 was published on 2019-02-06 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (6)

cpe:2.3:a:gnome:gnome-shell:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:opensuse:leap:15.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:opensuse:leap:15.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:opensuse:leap:42.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:18.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:18.10:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Gnome Gnome-shell

CVE-2017-8288 — High (CVSS 8.1): gnome-shell 3.22 through 3.24.1 mishandles extensions that fail to reload, which can lead to leaving extensions enabled…
CVE-2014-7300 — High (CVSS 7.2): GNOME Shell 3.14.x before 3.14.1, when the Screen Lock feature is used, does not limit the aggregate memory consumption…
CVE-2010-4000 — Medium (CVSS 6.9): gnome-shell in GNOME Shell 2.31.5 places a zero-length directory name in the LD_LIBRARY_PATH, which allows local users…
CVE-2012-4427 — Medium (CVSS 6.8): The gnome-shell plugin 3.4.1 in GNOME allows remote attackers to force the download and installation of arbitrary…
CVE-2021-20315 — Medium (CVSS 6.1): A locking protection bypass flaw was found in some versions of gnome-shell as shipped within CentOS Stream 8, when the…
CVE-2023-43090 — Medium (CVSS 5.5): A vulnerability was found in GNOME Shell. GNOME Shell's lock screen allows an unauthenticated local user to view…

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Other CWE-287 (Improper Authentication) vulnerabilities

CVE-2026-45480 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Improper authentication in Azure Active Directory allows an unauthorized attacker to elevate privileges over a network.
CVE-2026-46389 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): UDS Identity Config builds the Keycloak configuration image (realm, plugins, theme, truststore, JARs) consumed by UDS…
CVE-2026-10611 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): An authentication bypass vulnerability exists in MISP when LDAP mixed authentication is enabled with OTP enforcement.…
CVE-2026-47280 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Improper authentication in Azure Resource Manager (ARM) allows an unauthorized attacker to elevate privileges over a…
CVE-2026-42822 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Improper authentication in Azure Local Disconnected Operations allows an unauthorized attacker to elevate privileges…
CVE-2026-20182 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): May 2026: This security advisory provides the details and fix information for a vulnerability that was discovered and…

Browse all CWE-287 (Improper Authentication) vulnerabilities →