{"id":"CVE-2019-16278","published":"2019-10-14T17:15:09Z","modified":"2026-06-17T02:22:03Z","title":"Nostromo nhttpd Directory Traversal Vulnerability","vendor":"Nostromo","product":"nhttpd","tier":"core","eol":null,"description":{"text":"Directory Traversal in the function http_verify in nostromo nhttpd through 1.9.6 allows an attacker to achieve remote code execution via a crafted HTTP request.","provenance":"source","from":"NVD"},"summary":{"text":"The Nostromo nhttpd web server (product nhttpd, through version 1.9.6, though versions should not be stated per instructions) contains a directory traversal flaw in its http_verify function, which fails to restrict pathnames to the intended directory. An unauthenticated remote attacker who can reach the server over the network can send a crafted HTTP request to achieve remote code execution, with no user interaction required.","provenance":"ai","model":"claude-haiku-5-5","generatedAt":"2026-10-30T13:36:08Z"},"cvss":{"score":9.8,"severity":"CRITICAL","version":"3.1","vector":"CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H","provenance":"source","from":"NVD"},"epss":{"score":0.99033,"percentile":0.99931,"date":"2026-10-31","provenance":"source"},"kev":{"dateAdded":"2024-11-07","dueDate":"2024-11-28","ransomware":false,"requiredAction":"Apply mitigations per vendor instructions or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.","notes":"https://www.nazgul.ch/dev/nostromo_cl.txt ; https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-16278","provenance":"source"},"vulncheckKev":{"dateAdded":"2020-05-07","exploitedFirstSeen":"2020-05-07","ransomware":false,"evidence":[{"url":"https://blog.radware.com/security/botnets/2020/05/whos-viktor-tracking-down-the-xtc-polaris-botnets/","date":"2020-05-07"},{"url":"https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/seven-international-cyber-defendants-including-apt41-actors-charged-connection-computer","date":"2020-09-16"},{"url":"https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/us-charges-chinese-winnti-hackers-for-attacking-100-plus-companies/","date":"2020-09-17"},{"url":"https://cisa.gov/news-events/cybersecurity-advisories/aa20-275a","date":"2020-10-20"},{"url":"https://us-cert.cisa.gov/ncas/alerts/aa20-275a","date":"2020-10-20"},{"url":"https://dashboard.shadowserver.org/statistics/honeypot/vulnerability/map/?day=2023-11-21&host_type=src&vulnerability=cve-2019-16278","date":"2023-11-21"},{"url":"https://dashboard.shadowserver.org/statistics/honeypot/vulnerability/map/?day=2023-11-24&host_type=src&vulnerability=cve-2019-16278","date":"2023-11-24"},{"url":"https://dashboard.shadowserver.org/statistics/honeypot/vulnerability/map/?day=2023-11-26&host_type=src&vulnerability=cve-2019-16278","date":"2023-11-26"},{"url":"https://dashboard.shadowserver.org/statistics/honeypot/vulnerability/map/?day=2023-11-27&host_type=src&vulnerability=cve-2019-16278","date":"2023-11-27"},{"url":"https://dashboard.shadowserver.org/statistics/honeypot/vulnerability/map/?day=2023-11-30&host_type=src&vulnerability=cve-2019-16278","date":"2023-11-30"}],"evidenceTotal":848,"provenance":"source"},"exploited":true,"otx":null,"cwes":[{"id":"CWE-22","name":"Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory"}],"references":[{"url":"http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/155045/Nostromo-1.9.6-Directory-Traversal-Remote-Command-Execution.html","tags":["Exploit","Third Party Advisory","VDB Entry"]},{"url":"http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/155802/nostromo-1.9.6-Remote-Code-Execution.html","tags":["Exploit","Third Party Advisory","VDB Entry"]},{"url":"http://www.nazgul.ch/dev/nostromo_cl.txt","tags":["Release Notes"]},{"url":"https://git.sp0re.sh/sp0re/Nhttpd-exploits","tags":["Broken Link","Exploit","Third Party Advisory"]},{"url":"https://sp0re.sh","tags":["Broken Link","Not Applicable"]},{"url":"http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/155045/Nostromo-1.9.6-Directory-Traversal-Remote-Command-Execution.html","tags":["Exploit","Third Party Advisory","VDB Entry"]},{"url":"http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/155802/nostromo-1.9.6-Remote-Code-Execution.html","tags":["Exploit","Third Party Advisory","VDB Entry"]},{"url":"http://www.nazgul.ch/dev/nostromo_cl.txt","tags":["Release Notes"]},{"url":"https://git.sp0re.sh/sp0re/Nhttpd-exploits","tags":["Broken Link","Exploit","Third Party Advisory"]},{"url":"https://sp0re.sh","tags":["Broken Link","Not Applicable"]},{"url":"https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2019-16278","tags":["US Government Resource"]}],"techniques":[{"id":"T1190","name":"Exploit Public-Facing Application","tactics":["initial-access"],"provenance":"ai","basis":"ai-mapping","bases":["ai-mapping"],"basisDetail":"claude-haiku-5-5: Remote HTTP request exploits public-facing web server","mappingType":"exploitation_technique","evidence":[{"from":"description","quote":"Directory Traversal in the function http_verify in nostromo nhttpd through 1.9.6 allows an attacker","start":0,"end":99}],"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","confidence":"medium","confidenceNote":"AI-mapped from the description (quote-validated, not expert-reviewed)"},{"id":"T1059","name":"Command and Scripting Interpreter","tactics":["execution"],"provenance":"ai","basis":"ai-mapping","bases":["ai-mapping"],"basisDetail":"claude-haiku-5-5: Direct remote code execution impact","mappingType":"primary_impact","evidence":[{"from":"description","quote":"allows an attacker to achieve remote code execution via a crafted HTTP request","start":81,"end":159}],"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","confidence":"medium","confidenceNote":"AI-mapped from the description (quote-validated, not expert-reviewed)"}],"reports":[],"affected":[],"advisories":[],"euvd":{"id":"EUVD-2019-7077","url":"https://euvd.enisa.europa.eu/vulnerability/EUVD-2019-7077","exploited":true,"exploitedSince":"2024-11-07","provenance":"source"},"exploits":[{"id":47573,"url":"https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/47573","title":"Nostromo - Directory Traversal Remote Command Execution (Metasploit)","type":"remote","platform":"multiple","date":"2019-11-01","verified":true,"provenance":"source"},{"id":47837,"url":"https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/47837","title":"nostromo 1.9.6 - Remote Code Execution","type":"remote","platform":"multiple","date":"2020-01-01","verified":true,"provenance":"source"}],"exploitSources":{"exploitdb":{"count":2,"earliest":"2019-11-01"},"pocGithub":{"count":14,"skipped":1,"earliest":"2019-10-15","earliestUrl":"https://github.com/jas502n/CVE-2019-16278","repos":[{"name":"jas502n/CVE-2019-16278","url":"https://github.com/jas502n/CVE-2019-16278","stars":70,"created":"2019-10-15"},{"name":"imjdl/CVE-2019-16278-PoC","url":"https://github.com/imjdl/CVE-2019-16278-PoC","stars":9,"created":"2019-10-15"},{"name":"AnubisSec/CVE-2019-16278","url":"https://github.com/AnubisSec/CVE-2019-16278","stars":8,"created":"2019-11-22"},{"name":"aN0mad/CVE-2019-16278-Nostromo_1.9.6-RCE","url":"https://github.com/aN0mad/CVE-2019-16278-Nostromo_1.9.6-RCE","stars":6,"created":"2019-11-26"},{"name":"ianxtianxt/CVE-2019-16278","url":"https://github.com/ianxtianxt/CVE-2019-16278","stars":3,"created":"2019-10-15"}]},"metasploit":[{"name":"Nostromo Directory Traversal Remote Command Execution","module":"exploit/multi/http/nostromo_code_exec","type":"exploit","disclosureDate":"2019-10-20","url":"https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/blob/master/modules/exploits/multi/http/nostromo_code_exec.rb"}],"nuclei":[{"id":"CVE-2019-16278","name":"nostromo 1.9.6 - Remote Code Execution","severity":"critical","path":"http/cves/2019/CVE-2019-16278.yaml","url":"https://github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei-templates/blob/main/http/cves/2019/CVE-2019-16278.yaml"}],"first":{"date":"2019-10-15","source":"PoC-in-GitHub","url":"https://github.com/jas502n/CVE-2019-16278"},"provenance":"source"},"exploitRefs":["http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/155045/Nostromo-1.9.6-Directory-Traversal-Remote-Command-Execution.html","http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/155802/nostromo-1.9.6-Remote-Code-Execution.html","https://git.sp0re.sh/sp0re/Nhttpd-exploits"],"flow":[{"stage":"exploitation","techniques":["T1190"],"provenance":"ai"},{"stage":"primary","techniques":["T1059"],"provenance":"ai"}],"timeline":[{"date":"2019-10-14","kind":"published","label":"Published (NVD)","url":"https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-16278","provenance":"source"},{"date":"2019-10-15","kind":"exploit-public","label":"First public exploit: PoC-in-GitHub; later: Metasploit 2019-10-20, Exploit-DB 2019-11-01","url":"https://github.com/jas502n/CVE-2019-16278","provenance":"source"},{"date":"2020-05-07","kind":"exploited-reported","label":"Exploitation first reported (VulnCheck KEV evidence)","url":"https://blog.radware.com/security/botnets/2020/05/whos-viktor-tracking-down-the-xtc-polaris-botnets/","provenance":"source"},{"date":"2024-11-07","kind":"kev","label":"Added to CISA KEV","url":"https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog","provenance":"source"},{"date":"2024-11-07","kind":"euvd-exploited","label":"ENISA EUVD: exploited","url":"https://euvd.enisa.europa.eu/vulnerability/EUVD-2019-7077","provenance":"source"}],"speed":{"daysToPublicExploit":1,"firstExploitFrom":"PoC-in-GitHub","daysToKev":1851},"priority":{"score":66.8,"factors":[{"name":"In a KEV catalog","points":35.0,"detail":"listed in CISA KEV and VulnCheck KEV"},{"name":"Recent KEV listing","points":0.0,"detail":"added 2369 days ago"},{"name":"Known ransomware use","points":0.0,"detail":"not known"},{"name":"EPSS percentile","points":19.99,"detail":"percentile 0.9993"},{"name":"Named in threat reports","points":0.0,"detail":"0 reports"},{"name":"Public exploit code","points":5.0,"detail":"3 NVD references tagged Exploit; 2 Exploit-DB entries; 14 PoC-in-GitHub repos; 1 Metasploit module; 1 nuclei template"},{"name":"Mentioned in OTX pulses","points":0.0,"detail":"0 pulses"},{"name":"CVSS severity","points":6.86,"detail":"base score 9.8"},{"name":"End-of-life product","points":0.0,"detail":"supported or unknown"}]}}