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CVE Record

CVE-2019-13504: There is an out-of-bounds read in Exiv2::MrwImage::readMetadata in mrwimage.cpp in Exiv2 through 0.27.2.

There is an out-of-bounds read in Exiv2::MrwImage::readMetadata in mrwimage.cpp in Exiv2 through 0.27.2.

UnknownCVSS not scoredNot KEV-listedUpdated
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Glexia's TakeAutomated analysismoderate

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

CVE-2019-13504 is an out-of-bounds read in Exiv2, an image metadata parsing library, through version 0.27.2. A malformed MRW image could make software using Exiv2 read beyond expected memory while extracting metadata. Business risk is mainly service disruption in systems that process uploaded or untrusted images.

Executive priority

Treat this as a moderate remediation item for systems that process user-supplied images. It is not listed as actively exploited in the provided sources, but image parsing bugs can disrupt exposed services and should be removed from upload and media workflows.

Technical view

The issue is in Exiv2::MrwImage::readMetadata in mrwimage.cpp. Public sources identify it as an out-of-bounds read affecting Exiv2 through 0.27.2. The source bundle provides no CVSS, CWE, or detailed impact statement, but Debian issued Exiv2 security updates and Exiv2 has a related pull request.

Likely exposure

Exposure is most likely where Exiv2 through 0.27.2, or downstream packages based on it, parses untrusted image metadata. Image upload services, media processing pipelines, asset management systems, and desktop tools may be relevant if they accept MRW images or broad image formats.

Exploitation context

No CISA KEV listing or cited source in the bundle confirms active exploitation. Public references indicate discovery through fuzzing and a public Exiv2 fix discussion. A practical attack would require a crafted image being processed by vulnerable Exiv2-dependent software.

Researcher notes

Evidence is limited: the bundle names the vulnerable function and version range but gives no CVSS, CWE, or exploit status. Focus validation on Exiv2 dependency mapping, MRW metadata parsing paths, and whether distro packages have backported fixes rather than relying only on upstream version strings.

Mitigation direction

  • Upgrade Exiv2 using vendor or distribution security guidance.
  • Apply relevant Debian LTS Exiv2 security updates where applicable.
  • Restrict untrusted image processing until affected systems are patched.
  • Use sandboxing or process isolation for metadata parsing workflows.
  • Check Exiv2 upstream guidance for the fixed version or patch details.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory applications and packages that include or link Exiv2.
  • Confirm Exiv2 versions are newer than 0.27.2 or vendor-patched.
  • Review image upload and metadata extraction paths for Exiv2 usage.
  • Check package changelogs against Debian DLA 1855-1 and DLA 3265-1.
  • Verify monitoring covers crashes in image processing services.
Prepared
Confidence
medium
Sources
6

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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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
5Source 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

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