HOMEVULNERABILITIESCVE-2019-16905
HIGH

CVE-2019-16905

CWE-190Published: October 9, 2019· Updated: Jun 17, 2026

7.8
CVSS v3.1

Official Description

OpenSSH 7.7 through 7.9 and 8.x before 8.1, when compiled with an experimental key type, has a pre-authentication integer overflow if a client or server is configured to use a crafted XMSS key. This leads to memory corruption and local code execution because of an error in the XMSS key parsing algorithm. NOTE: the XMSS implementation is considered experimental in all released OpenSSH versions, and there is no supported way to enable it when building portable OpenSSH.

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2019-16905 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.

CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown

Exploitability
Attack VectorLocal
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges Req.Low
User InteractionNone
ScopeUnchanged
Impact
ConfidentialityHigh
IntegrityHigh
AvailabilityHigh
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Affected Vendors & Products

netapp2 product(s)
cloud backupsteelstore cloud integrated storage
openbsd1 product(s)
openssh
siemens4 product(s)
scalance x204rna firmwarescalance x204rnascalance x204rna ecc firmwarescalance x204rna ecc
Source: NVD CPE · 7 total CPE entries

Exploit & PoC Resources

NO KNOWN EXPLOITNo public exploit confirmed at this time
Exploit-DB
Offensive Security exploit database
GitHub PoC Search
Community PoC repositories
Rapid7 / Metasploit
Metasploit module search
PacketStorm
Security advisories & exploits
NVD Detail
Official NIST entry
MITRE CVE
CVE Program entry
External links open in a new tab. Always verify in a controlled environment before use.

Official Patches & Advisories

PATCHhttps://cvsweb.openbsd.org/cgi-bin/cvsweb/src/usr.bin/ssh/sshkey-xmss.c.diff?r1=1.5&r2=1.6&f=h
PATCHhttps://cvsweb.openbsd.org/cgi-bin/cvsweb/src/usr.bin/ssh/sshkey-xmss.c.diff?r1=1.5&r2=1.6&f=h
ADVISORYhttps://bugzilla.suse.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1153537
ADVISORYhttps://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/pdf/ssa-412672.pdf
ADVISORYhttps://cvsweb.openbsd.org/cgi-bin/cvsweb/src/usr.bin/ssh/sshkey-xmss.c
ADVISORYhttps://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201911-01
ADVISORYhttps://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20191024-0003/
ADVISORYhttps://ssd-disclosure.com/archives/4033/ssd-advisory-openssh-pre-auth-xmss-integer-overflow
ADVISORYhttps://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2019/10/09/1
ADVISORYhttps://bugzilla.suse.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1153537
ADVISORYhttps://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/pdf/ssa-412672.pdf
ADVISORYhttps://cvsweb.openbsd.org/cgi-bin/cvsweb/src/usr.bin/ssh/sshkey-xmss.c
ADVISORYhttps://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201911-01
ADVISORYhttps://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20191024-0003/
ADVISORYhttps://ssd-disclosure.com/archives/4033/ssd-advisory-openssh-pre-auth-xmss-integer-overflow
ADVISORYhttps://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2019/10/09/1

All References (18)

→
https://bugzilla.suse.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1153537Issue Tracking · Third Party Advisory
→
https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/pdf/ssa-412672.pdfThird Party Advisory
→
https://cvsweb.openbsd.org/cgi-bin/cvsweb/src/usr.bin/ssh/sshkey-xmss.cRelease Notes · Vendor Advisory
→
https://cvsweb.openbsd.org/cgi-bin/cvsweb/src/usr.bin/ssh/sshkey-xmss.c.diff?r1=1.5&r2=1.6&f=hPatch
→
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201911-01Third Party Advisory
→
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20191024-0003/Third Party Advisory
→
https://ssd-disclosure.com/archives/4033/ssd-advisory-openssh-pre-auth-xmss-integer-overflowExploit · Third Party Advisory
→
https://www.openssh.com/releasenotes.htmlRelease Notes
→
https://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2019/10/09/1Mailing List · Third Party Advisory
→
https://bugzilla.suse.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1153537Issue Tracking · Third Party Advisory
→
https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/pdf/ssa-412672.pdfThird Party Advisory
→
https://cvsweb.openbsd.org/cgi-bin/cvsweb/src/usr.bin/ssh/sshkey-xmss.cRelease Notes · Vendor Advisory
→
https://cvsweb.openbsd.org/cgi-bin/cvsweb/src/usr.bin/ssh/sshkey-xmss.c.diff?r1=1.5&r2=1.6&f=hPatch
→
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201911-01Third Party Advisory
→
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20191024-0003/Third Party Advisory

Quick Facts

CVE IDCVE-2019-16905
CVSS Score7.8 / 10
SeverityHIGH
WeaknessCWE-190
CISA KEVNo
Affected3 vendor(s)
PublishedOct 9, 2019

Related CVEs (CWE-190)

CVE-2010-3254
10.0
CVE-2012-5143
10.0
CVE-2008-2663
10.0
CVE-2010-1233
10.0
CVE-2012-5835
10.0
CVE-2013-2555
10.0

Recommended Actions

  • →Apply vendor patches immediately
  • →Monitor CVE-2019-16905 in threat intel feeds
  • →Review IDS/IPS signatures for exploitation attempts
Data sourced from NVD (NIST), CISA KEV, and EPSS (FIRST). Analysis generated by CTIWatch. CVE data is provided under the NVD usage policy.
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