Is CVE-2019-16784 actively exploited?

No active exploitation of CVE-2019-16784 has been confirmed so far. Continue monitoring, as exploit status can change.

Can CVE-2019-16784 be exploited remotely?

No. CVE-2019-16784 requires local access to exploit.

What is the CVSS score of CVE-2019-16784?

CVE-2019-16784 has a CVSS score of 7.8 (HIGH).

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HIGH

CVE-2019-16784

CWE-250Published: January 14, 2020· Updated: Jun 17, 2026

7.8

CVSS v3.1

Official Description

In PyInstaller before version 3.6, only on Windows, a local privilege escalation vulnerability is present in this particular case: If a software using PyInstaller in "onefile" mode is launched by a privileged user (at least more than the current one) which have his "TempPath" resolving to a world writable directory. This is the case for example if the software is launched as a service or as a scheduled task using a system account (TempPath will be C:\Windows\Temp). In order to be exploitable the software has to be (re)started after the attacker launch the exploit program, so for a service launched at startup, a service restart is needed (e.g. after a crash or an upgrade).

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2019-16784 requires local access, meaning attackers must already have a foothold on the target system.

Exploitation requires low privileges, which limits the exposure to scenarios where an attacker has already gained initial access.

A successful exploit results in complete confidentiality breach (data exposure), full integrity compromise (data manipulation), availability disruption (denial of service), with a CVSS base score of 7.8.