---
title: "CVE-2019-17221\n    | Ubuntu"
description: Ubuntu is an open source software operating system that runs from the
  desktop, to the cloud, to all your internet connected things.
url: https://ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2019-17221?format=md
keywords: index, follow
---

# CVE-2019-17221

Publication date 5 November 2019

Last updated 26 August 2025

---

Ubuntu priority

**Medium**

[Why this priority?](https://ubuntu.com/security/cves/about#priority )

## Cvss 3 Severity Score

**7.5 · High**

[Score breakdown](https://ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2019-17221?format=md#impact-score)

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## Description

PhantomJS through 2.1.1 has an arbitrary file read vulnerability, as
demonstrated by an XMLHttpRequest for a file:// URI. The vulnerability
exists in the page.open() function of the webpage module, which loads a
specified URL and calls a given callback. An attacker can supply a
specially crafted HTML file, as user input, that allows reading arbitrary
files on the filesystem. For example, if page.render() is the function
callback, this generates a PDF or an image of the targeted file. NOTE: this
product is no longer developed.

## Status

Show unmaintained releases

| Package | Ubuntu Release | Status |
| --- | --- | --- |
| phantomjs | 26.04 LTS resolute | Not in release |
| 25.10 questing | Not in release |
| 25.04 plucky | Not in release |
| 24.10 oracular | Not in release |
| 24.04 LTS noble | Not in release |
| 23.10 mantic | Not in release |
| 23.04 lunar | Not in release |
| 22.10 kinetic | Not in release |
| 22.04 LTS jammy | Not in release |
| 21.10 impish | Not in release |
| 21.04 hirsute | Not in release |
| 20.10 groovy | Not in release |
| 20.04 LTS focal | Vulnerable |
| 19.10 eoan | Ignored end of life |
| 19.04 disco | Ignored end of life |
| 18.04 LTS bionic | Vulnerable |
| 16.04 LTS xenial | Vulnerable |
| 14.04 LTS trusty | Ignored end of standard support |

---

* [How can I get the fixes?](https://ubuntu.com/security/cves/about#security)
* [What do statuses mean?](https://ubuntu.com/security/cves/about#statuses)

## Severity score breakdown

CVSS version:
CVSS v3.0

**Base score**

7.5 · High

* Base metrics

  | Parameter | Value |
  | --- | --- |
  | Attack vector | Network |
  | Attack complexity | Low |
  | Privileges required | None |
  | User interaction | None |
  | Scope | Unchanged |
  | Confidentiality impact | High |
  | Integrity impact | None |
  | Availability impact | None |
* Scores

  | Parameter | Value |
  | --- | --- |
  | Base score | 7.5 · High |
  | Exploitability score | - |
  | Impact score | - |

**Vector:** CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

## References

* [MITRE](https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2019-17221)
* [NVD](https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-17221)
* [Launchpad](https://launchpad.net/bugs/cve/CVE-2019-17221)
* [Debian](https://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2019-17221)

### Other references

* <https://www.darkmatter.ae/blogs/breaching-the-perimeter-phantomjs-arbitrary-file-read/>
* <https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-17221>