CVE-2019-16396 Use after free in n/a

High 7.8 Published 17 Sep 2019 Updated 5 Aug 2024

A use-after-free vulnerability in GnuCOBOL allows attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause denial of service via crafted COBOL source code.

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

What is CVE-2019-16396?

CVE-2019-16396 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in n/a, published on 17 Sep 2019. 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

GnuCOBOL 2.2 has a use-after-free in the end_scope_of_program_name() function in cobc/parser.y via crafted COBOL source code.

Weakness: CWE-416

Which versions are affected by CVE-2019-16396?

It affects 1 product.

Products include Gnucobol Project Gnucobol.

How do I fix CVE-2019-16396?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

Upgrade to the fixed version. These bugs are found with fuzzing and sanitisers and avoided by memory-safe languages. More about Use after free.

Is CVE-2019-16396 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2019-16396 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Sources

Also known as DEBIAN-CVE-2019-16396, GHSA-gww5-4w7g-8gw6, UBUNTU-CVE-2019-16396.