# CVE-2019-13689: Path traversal in Chrome

> A remote attacker can perform arbitrary read/write operations on ChromeOS via a malicious file due to an inappropriate OS implementation.

- **Severity:** High 7.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 25 Aug 2023
- **Updated:** 2 May 2025
- **Also known as:** GHSA-p86p-g9hf-wcp8

## What is CVE-2019-13689?

CVE-2019-13689 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in Google Chrome, published on 25 Aug 2023. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

Inappropriate implementation in OS in Google Chrome on ChromeOS prior to 75.0.3770.80 allowed a remote attacker to perform arbitrary read/write via a malicious file. (Chromium security severity: Critical)

Weakness: CWE-59 (Improper Link Resolution Before File Access)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2019-13689?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Google Chrome.

## How do I fix CVE-2019-13689?

No fix has been published for CVE-2019-13689 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2019-13689 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2019-13689 exists.

## Other vulnerabilities in Google Chrome

- [CVE-2022-4135](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-4135/): Google Chromium GPU Heap Buffer Overflow (critical 9.6, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2020-16017](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-16017/): Google Chrome Use-After-Free (critical 9.6, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2020-16010](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-16010/): Google Chrome for Android UI Heap Buffer Overflow (critical 9.6, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2026-87491](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-87491/): Google Chromium V8 Out of Bounds Write (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2026-85046](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-85046/): Google Chromium V8 Type Confusion (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2019-13689 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2019-13689 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in Google Chrome, published on 25 Aug 2023. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2019-13689 exists.

Affected product: Google Chrome. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-13689/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-13689/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-13689
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-13689
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2019-13689

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-13689/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.