CVE-2019-20433

Name: CVE-2019-20433
Creator: NVD / NIST
Published: 2020-01-27T15:15:12.15+00:00
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

CRITICALCVSS 9.1/10EPSS 1.74%

Last modified Jun 17, 2026

CVE-2019-20433 is a critical-severity vulnerability rated 9.1/10 on the CVSS scale. libaspell.a in GNU Aspell before 0.60.8 has a buffer over-read for a string ending with a single '\0' byte, if the encoding is set to ucs-2 or ucs-4 outside of the application, as demonstrated by the ASPELL_CONF environment variable.. EPSS estimates a 1.74% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days.

Description

libaspell.a in GNU Aspell before 0.60.8 has a buffer over-read for a string ending with a single '\0' byte, if the encoding is set to ucs-2 or ucs-4 outside of the application, as demonstrated by the ASPELL_CONF environment variable.

Metrics

CVSS 3.1

9.1/10

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

EPSS Probability

1.74%

74.8th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

CWE-125

Affected Software

Vendor	Product	Versions
Gnu	Aspell	< 0.60.8

References

http://aspell.net/buffer-overread-ucs.txtVendor Advisory
http://aspell.net/buffer-overread-ucs.txtVendor Advisory

Timeline

Published: Jan 27, 2020
Last Modified: Jun 17, 2026
Status: Modified

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2019-20433?

How severe is CVE-2019-20433?

CVE-2019-20433 has a CVSS score of 9.1/10 (CRITICAL severity). The EPSS model estimates a 1.74% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2019-20433?

Check the vendor references and advisories linked above for patched versions and mitigation guidance. You can also run a Strix scan to test if your systems are affected.

Are you affected by CVE-2019-20433?

Run a free Strix scan to check your systems for this vulnerability.

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Source: NVD / NIST