# CVE-2019-19909: Code injection in n/a

> Authenticated Journal Managers can execute arbitrary code via crafted URLs in the report generator due to unsafe deserialization.

- **Severity:** High 8.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/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:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 19 Dec 2019
- **Updated:** 5 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-7m5w-j2h7-2hm7

## What is CVE-2019-19909?

CVE-2019-19909 is a high-severity code injection vulnerability in n/a, published on 19 Dec 2019. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

An issue was discovered in Public Knowledge Project (PKP) pkp-lib before 3.1.2-2, as used in Open Journal Systems (OJS) before 3.1.2-2. Code injection can occur in the OJS report generator if an authenticated Journal Manager user visits a crafted URL, because unserialize is used.

Weakness: CWE-94 (Improper Control of Generation of Code), CWE-502 (Deserialization of Untrusted Data)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2019-19909?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Sfu Open Journal System.

## How do I fix CVE-2019-19909?

No fix has been published for CVE-2019-19909 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2019-19909 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2019-19909 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in n/a

- [CVE-2018-12229](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-12229/): Cross-site scripting in n/a (medium 6.1)
- [CVE-2023-5626](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-5626/): Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) in pkp/ojs (low 3.5)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2019-19909 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2019-19909 is a high-severity code injection vulnerability in n/a, published on 19 Dec 2019. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2019-19909 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: n/a. 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-2019-19909/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-19909/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-19909
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-19909
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2019-19909

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-19909/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.