How severe is CVE-2019-6446?

CVE-2019-6446 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8, 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 high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2019-6446 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 17% (97th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2019-6446?

CVE-2019-6446 primarily affects Numpy. In total, 2 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2019-6446?

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-2019-6446 published?

CVE-2019-6446 was published on 2019-01-16 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2019-6446

CVE-2019-6446 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Numpy with a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score of 17% places it in the 97th percentile, indicating an elevated likelihood of exploitation. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-502.

Key facts

Severity: Critical (CVSS 3.x base score 9.8)
CVSS v2: 7.5
EPSS exploit prediction: 17% (97th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-502
Affected product: Numpy
Published: 2019-01-16
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

An issue was discovered in NumPy before 1.16.3. It uses the pickle Python module unsafely, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted serialized object, as demonstrated by a numpy.load call. NOTE: third parties dispute this issue because it is a behavior that might have legitimate applications in (for example) loading serialized Python object arrays from trusted and authenticated sources.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2019-6446?: An issue was discovered in NumPy before 1.16.3. It uses the pickle Python module unsafely, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted serialized object, as demonstrated by a numpy.load call. NOTE: third parties dispute this issue because it is a behavior that might have legitimate applications in (for example) loading serialized Python object arrays from trusted and authenticated sources.
How severe is CVE-2019-6446?: CVE-2019-6446 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8, 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 high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2019-6446 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 17% (97th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2019-6446?: CVE-2019-6446 primarily affects Numpy. In total, 2 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2019-6446?: 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-2019-6446 published?: CVE-2019-6446 was published on 2019-01-16 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (2)

cpe:2.3:a:numpy:numpy:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:30:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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