---
title: "CVE-2019-5020\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-2019-5020?format=md
keywords: index, follow
---

# CVE-2019-5020

Publication date 31 July 2019

Last updated 25 August 2025

---

Ubuntu priority

**Medium**

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

## Cvss 3 Severity Score

**5.5 · Medium**

[Score breakdown](https://ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2019-5020?format=md#impact-score)

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## Description

An exploitable denial of service vulnerability exists in the object lookup
functionality of Yara 3.8.1. A specially crafted binary file can cause a
negative value to be read to satisfy an assert, resulting in Denial of
Service. An attacker can create a malicious binary to trigger this
vulnerability.

[Read the notes from the security team](https://ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2019-5020?format=md#notes)

## Status

Show unmaintained releases

| Package | Ubuntu Release | Status |
| --- | --- | --- |
| yara | 19.10 eoan | Fixed 3.9.0-1 |
| 19.04 disco | Ignored end of life |
| 18.04 LTS bionic | Not affected |
| 16.04 LTS xenial | Not affected |
| 14.04 LTS trusty | Not in release |

---

* [How can I get the fixes?](https://ubuntu.com/security/cves/about#security)
* [What do statuses mean?](https://ubuntu.com/security/cves/about#statuses)
* [Patch details](https://ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2019-5020?format=md#patch-details)

## Notes

---

### [ebarretto](https://launchpad.net/~ebarretto)

upstream fix introduced a regression, please check if all necessary
commits are included when patching.

### Patch details

For informational purposes only. We recommend not to cherry-pick updates. [How can I get the fixes?](https://ubuntu.com/security/cves/about#security)

| Package | Patch details |
| --- | --- |
| yara | * Upstream:   [1ecb0e6](https://github.com/VirusTotal/yara/commit/1ecb0e66431bf5c5b4c2fdf622be969eb5f4a7cc) * Upstream:   [a3784d3](https://github.com/VirusTotal/yara/commit/a3784d3855029bd0ad24071e72746cc0c31b8cba) |

## Severity score breakdown

CVSS version:
CVSS v3.0

**Base score**

5.5 · Medium

* Base metrics

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

  | Parameter | Value |
  | --- | --- |
  | Base score | 5.5 · Medium |
  | Exploitability score | - |
  | Impact score | - |

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

## References

* [MITRE](https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2019-5020)
* [NVD](https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-5020)
* [Launchpad](https://launchpad.net/bugs/cve/CVE-2019-5020)
* [Debian](https://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2019-5020)

### Other references

* <https://talosintelligence.com/vulnerability_reports/TALOS-2019-0781>
* <https://github.com/VirusTotal/yara/issues/1023>
* <https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-5020>