LiveActive security incident?Get immediate response
CVE Record

CVE-2019-19221: In Libarchive 3.4.0, archive_wstring_append_from_mbs in archive_string.c has an out-of-bounds read because...

In Libarchive 3.4.0, archive_wstring_append_from_mbs in archive_string.c has an out-of-bounds read because of an incorrect mbrtowc or mbtowc call. For example, bsdtar crashes via a crafted archive.

UnknownCVSS not scoredNot KEV-listedUpdated
Discuss exposureBack to CVEs
Glexia's TakeAutomated analysismoderate

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

CVE-2019-19221 is a Libarchive 3.4.0 flaw that can make archive tools such as bsdtar crash when they process a specially crafted archive. The source bundle describes an out-of-bounds read, not data theft or remote code execution. Business impact is mainly service disruption where untrusted archives are parsed automatically.

Executive priority

Handle through normal security patching, with higher priority for services that ingest external archives. The documented impact is crash-level availability loss, not confirmed compromise or active exploitation.

Technical view

The defect is in archive_wstring_append_from_mbs in archive_string.c. The CVE description attributes the out-of-bounds read to an incorrect mbrtowc or mbtowc call. The referenced Libarchive commit is remediation evidence, and Fedora, Ubuntu, and Debian advisories document downstream security updates.

Likely exposure

Exposure is most likely on systems using Libarchive 3.4.0 or distro packages that process user-supplied archives. Higher-risk placements include upload scanners, backup processors, CI systems, file gateways, and automated extraction workflows.

Exploitation context

The provided sources describe a crafted archive causing bsdtar to crash. CISA KEV status is false in the bundle, and no cited source establishes active exploitation. Treat this as a denial-of-service concern unless vendor evidence says otherwise.

Researcher notes

Evidence is limited to the CVE description, Libarchive issue and commit, and downstream distro advisories. No CVSS, CWE, or detailed affected CPE list is provided in the bundle, so exposure analysis should rely on installed package inventory.

Mitigation direction

  • Apply vendor security updates for Libarchive packages.
  • Confirm the update includes the fix for CVE-2019-19221.
  • Prioritize systems that parse untrusted or external archives.
  • Sandbox archive parsing where automated extraction is required.
  • Temporarily restrict untrusted archive intake until patched.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory Libarchive and bsdtar versions across servers and containers.
  • Check distro advisories for installed package fix status.
  • Identify workflows that automatically parse uploaded archives.
  • Review crash reports involving archive processing.
  • Confirm patched builds no longer report CVE-2019-19221.
Prepared
Confidence
medium
Sources
8

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

These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.

ATT&CK lookup starting points

Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.

cve · low confidence lookup

CVE-2019-19221 mapping review

Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.

Open ATT&CK lookup
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
7Source 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.