CVE-2019-5094: E2fsprogs · Out-of-bounds Write
Affects E2fsprogsSource CVE Database V5
Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.5 High.
Data as of 25 Oct 2026, 19:02 UTC
- EPSS
- 1.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 65% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:HExploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 24 Sep 2019
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors
A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 2026-10-25.
What to do
Affected software
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
Debiandebian/e2fsprogspkg:deb/debian/e2fsprogsOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.
AI-suggested
To mitigate CVE-2019-5094, European organizations should: 1) Immediately upgrade E2fsprogs to a patched version beyond 1.45.3 where the vulnerability is resolved. If an official patch is unavailable, consider applying vendor-provided backported fixes or community patches. 2) Implement strict controls and validation on disk images and ext4 partitions before processing them with E2fsprogs, especially those originating from untrusted sources. Use sandboxing or isolated environments to analyze suspicious partitions. 3) Limit the use of quota file functionality where possible or disable it if not required, reducing the attack surface. 4) Enforce the principle of least privilege by restricting access to E2fsprogs utilities to trusted administrators only, minimizing the risk of exploitation by unauthorized users. 5) Monitor system logs and audit trails for unusual activity related to disk management operations, which may indicate exploitation attempts. 6) Incorporate integrity verification mechanisms for disk images to detect tampering before deployment. 7) Educate system administrators about this vulnerability and ensure timely application of security updates as part of routine patch management processes.
Description
An exploitable code execution vulnerability exists in the quota file functionality of E2fsprogs 1.45.3. A specially crafted ext4 partition can cause an out-of-bounds write on the heap, resulting in code execution. An attacker can corrupt a partition to trigger this vulnerability.
References
- debian.org/security/2019/dsa-4535 (opens in a new tab)
- lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2019/09/msg00029.html (opens in a new tab)
- seclists.org/bugtraq/2019/Sep/58 (opens in a new tab)
- usn.ubuntu.com/4142-2/ (opens in a new tab)
- usn.ubuntu.com/4142-1/ (opens in a new tab)
- lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/2AKETJ6BREDUHRWQTV35SPGG5C6H7KSI/ (opens in a new tab)
- lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/6DOBCYQKCTTWXBLMUPJ5TX3FY7JNCOKY/ (opens in a new tab)
- security.gentoo.org/glsa/202003-05 (opens in a new tab)
- talosintelligence.com/vulnerability_reports/TALOS-2019-0887 (opens in a new tab)
- security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20200115-0002/ (opens in a new tab)