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CVE Record

CVE-2019-11388: An issue was discovered in OWASP ModSecurity Core Rule Set (CRS) through 3.1.0.

An issue was discovered in OWASP ModSecurity Core Rule Set (CRS) through 3.1.0. /rules/REQUEST-932-APPLICATION-ATTACK-RCE.conf allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (ReDOS) by entering a specially crafted string with nested repetition operators. NOTE: the software maintainer disputes that this is a vulnerability because the issue cannot be exploited via ModSecurity

UnknownCVSS not scoredNot KEV-listedUpdated
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Glexia's TakeAutomated analysisunknown

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

This CVE concerns a disputed denial-of-service claim in OWASP ModSecurity Core Rule Set through 3.1.0. The reported issue is a regex performance problem in an RCE detection rule, but the maintainer disputes exploitability through ModSecurity. Treat it as an inventory and vendor-guidance check, not confirmed emergency remediation.

Executive priority

Low-to-moderate unless your environment relies heavily on affected CRS versions for public traffic. Because exploitation is disputed and severity is undefined, prioritize confirmation and vendor tracking over emergency change windows.

Technical view

The report identifies potential ReDOS in /rules/REQUEST-932-APPLICATION-ATTACK-RCE.conf caused by specially crafted nested repetition operators. The CVE states remote DoS is possible, but also records the maintainer dispute that it cannot be exploited via ModSecurity. No CVSS, CWE, affected CPEs, or confirmed fix are provided in the bundle.

Likely exposure

Possible exposure is limited to deployments using OWASP ModSecurity CRS through 3.1.0 with the referenced rule file. The source bundle has no CPE data, so affected assets require local CRS version and configuration validation.

Exploitation context

No KEV listing is present, and the bundle provides no evidence of active exploitation. The CVE claim is explicitly disputed by the maintainer, so practical exploitation through ModSecurity remains unconfirmed from the supplied sources.

Researcher notes

The key uncertainty is exploitability through ModSecurity. Analysis should separate raw regex ReDOS behavior from deployable ModSecurity attack surface, and should not assume impact without reproducing it in a controlled defensive lab.

Mitigation direction

  • Inventory OWASP ModSecurity CRS deployments and identify versions through 3.1.0.
  • Check OWASP CRS issue and vendor guidance for status, patches, or recommended configuration changes.
  • Prioritize review for internet-facing ModSecurity deployments using the referenced RCE rule file.
  • Avoid custom regex changes unless validated against CRS maintainer guidance and regression tests.

Validation and detection

  • Confirm installed OWASP ModSecurity CRS version on each WAF host.
  • Verify whether REQUEST-932-APPLICATION-ATTACK-RCE.conf is present and enabled.
  • Review ModSecurity and application logs for abnormal request-processing latency or repeated errors.
  • Track GitHub issues 1354 and 1372 for maintainer conclusions and remediation details.
Prepared
Confidence
medium
Sources
4

Public sources used

Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.

Potential ATT&CK relevance

Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context

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ATT&CK lookup starting points

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description · low confidence lookup

Execution behavior lookup

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CVE-2019-11388 mapping review

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Vulnerability profileCVE Program record
Severity
Unknown
CVSS
Not scored
Known Exploited
No
Published
Official CVE source material

CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5

These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.

0CVSS vectors
0Timeline events
0ADP providers
3Source links

CVSS and timeline data

No CVSS vectors or timeline events were available in the normalized CVE source material.

Source materials

Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
n/an/an/aListed
Weakness

CWE details

No CWE listed

CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.