# CVE-2019-5413: Code Injection in morgan

> Attackers can execute arbitrary commands via the format parameter in the morgan logging library, requiring an upgrade to secure the application.

- **Severity:** Critical 9.8 (`CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/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:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 17 Mar 2019
- **Updated:** 4 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** CLSA-2026-1773620211, CLSA-2026-1784682761, GHSA-gwg9-rgvj-4h5j, ROOT-APP-NPM-CVE-2019-5413

## What is CVE-2019-5413?

CVE-2019-5413 is a critical command injection vulnerability in morgan, published on 17 Mar 2019. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

An attacker can use the format parameter to inject arbitrary commands in the npm package morgan < 1.9.1.

Weakness: CWE-77 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in a Command), CWE-94 (Improper Control of Generation of Code)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2019-5413?

2 open source packages ship an affected version, including morgan. It affects 1 product.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `morgan` | npm | All versions | 1.9.1 |
| `morgan` | npm | All versions | 1.9.1 |

Products: Morgan Project Morgan.

## How do I fix CVE-2019-5413?

Upgrade morgan to 1.9.1 or later.

## Is CVE-2019-5413 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2019-5413 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Public exploit code:

- https://github.com/forse01/CVE-2019-5413-NetBeans (github_poc): https://github.com/forse01/CVE-2019-5413-NetBeans
- https://github.com/forse01/CVE-2019-5413-NetBeans-NoJson (github_poc): https://github.com/forse01/CVE-2019-5413-NetBeans-NoJson
- Fake repo (github_poc): https://github.com/crstaicu/CVE-2019-5413

## Other vulnerabilities in morgan

- [CVE-2026-15603](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-15603/): morgan vulnerable to Log Forging via unescaped Unicode line separators (medium 5.3)
- [CVE-2026-5078](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-5078/): morgan vulnerable to Log Forging via unneutralized control characters in :remote-user (medium 5.3)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2019-5413 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2019-5413 is a critical command injection vulnerability in morgan, published on 17 Mar 2019. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2019-5413 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected packages and fixed versions:
- morgan (npm): affected all versions; fixed in 1.9.1
- morgan (npm): affected all versions; fixed in 1.9.1

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-2019-5413/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-5413/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-5413
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-5413
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2019-5413

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-5413/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.