CVE-2019-5484 Symlink Arbitrary File Overwrite in bower
Attackers can write arbitrary files to the system by installing a malicious package, potentially leading to code execution or system compromise.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Not needed
- Attackable
- Over the internet
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2019-5484?
CVE-2019-5484 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in bower, published on 13 Sep 2019. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Official description
Bower before 1.8.8 has a path traversal vulnerability permitting file write in arbitrary locations via install command, which allows attackers to write arbitrary files when a malicious package is extracted.
Weakness: CWE-22
Which versions are affected by CVE-2019-5484?
2 open source packages ship an affected version, including bower. It affects 1 product.
| Package | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
bower npm | All versions | 1.8.8 |
bower npm | All versions | 1.8.8 |
Products include Bower Bower.
How do I fix CVE-2019-5484?
Upgrade bower to 1.8.8 or later.
Upgrade, and resolve every user-supplied path against an allowed base folder before opening it. More about Path traversal.
Is CVE-2019-5484 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2019-5484 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Sources
Also known as CLSA-2026-1782176268, CLSA-2026-1792163513, GHSA-p6mr-pxg4-68hx.