{
    "id": "CVE-2019-16941",
    "published": "2019-09-28 16:15:09",
    "last_modified": "2026-06-17 02:23:00",
    "cvss_score": "9.8",
    "cvss_severity": "CRITICAL",
    "cvss_version": "3.1",
    "cvss_vector": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H",
    "cwe": "CWE-91",
    "description": "NSA Ghidra through 9.0.4, when experimental mode is enabled, allows arbitrary code execution if the Read XML Files feature of Bit Patterns Explorer is used with a modified XML document. This occurs in Features/BytePatterns/src/main/java/ghidra/bitpatterns/info/FileBitPatternInfoReader.java. An attack could start with an XML document that was originally created by DumpFunctionPatternInfoScript but then directly modified by an attacker (for example, to make a java.lang.Runtime.exec call).",
    "epss_score": "0.05133",
    "epss_percentile": "0.92176",
    "kev": 0,
    "kev_due": null,
    "has_exploit": 0,
    "updated_at": "2026-10-07 18:17:20",
    "priority": {
        "rank": 3,
        "label": "In your normal cycle",
        "why": "Critical by CVSS (9.8), but no sign of active exploitation."
    },
    "products": [
        {
            "vendor": "nsa",
            "product": "ghidra"
        }
    ],
    "kev_detail": null,
    "exploits": [],
    "refs_list": [
        "https://github.com/NationalSecurityAgency/ghidra/blob/79d8f164f8bb8b15cfb60c5d4faeb8e1c25d15ca/Ghidra/Features/BytePatterns/src/main/java/ghidra/bitpatterns/info/FileBitPatternInfoReader.java#L187-L188",
        "https://github.com/NationalSecurityAgency/ghidra/commit/a17728f8c12effa171b17a25ccfb7e7d9528c5d0",
        "https://github.com/NationalSecurityAgency/ghidra/issues/1090",
        "https://github.com/purpleracc00n/CVE-2019-16941",
        "https://twitter.com/NSAGov/status/1178812792159248385",
        "https://www.symantec.com/security-center/vulnerabilities/writeup/110223?om_rssid=sr-advisories",
        "https://github.com/NationalSecurityAgency/ghidra/blob/79d8f164f8bb8b15cfb60c5d4faeb8e1c25d15ca/Ghidra/Features/BytePatterns/src/main/java/ghidra/bitpatterns/info/FileBitPatternInfoReader.java#L187-L188",
        "https://github.com/NationalSecurityAgency/ghidra/commit/a17728f8c12effa171b17a25ccfb7e7d9528c5d0",
        "https://github.com/NationalSecurityAgency/ghidra/issues/1090",
        "https://github.com/purpleracc00n/CVE-2019-16941",
        "https://twitter.com/NSAGov/status/1178812792159248385",
        "https://www.symantec.com/security-center/vulnerabilities/writeup/110223?om_rssid=sr-advisories"
    ]
}