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Full vulnerability report · 2020
CVE-2019-20044High confidence

In Zsh before 5.8, attackers able to execute commands can regain privileges dropped by the --no-PRIVILEGED option

Unknown · Unknown

7.8HighCVSS 3.1
Recommended action
Within 7 days

High technical severity; prioritise exposed affected systems while verifying vendor guidance.

Patch available
R
Operational reassessment

Published severity in operational context

Open reassessment dashboard →
Published severityHighOperational priority:Medium, lowered one band.downgradedsince 5 Aug 2024

Evidence used

  • No CISA KEV confirmation is currently recorded.
  • Exploitation requires an existing local or physical foothold with privileges.
  • EPSS is 0.50% for the current model date.

Compensating controls

  • Validate the affected product branch and deploy the verified fixed release.
  • Restrict local access and enforce least privilege on affected hosts.
  • Monitor vendor guidance and exploitation sources for a material change.

Verification

  1. Confirm that the asset runs Unknown Unknown and falls inside the recorded affected range.
  2. Verify the installed build against the product-specific fixed version after deployment.
  3. Validate exposure, authentication requirements and compensating controls in the actual environment.
  4. Reopen this reassessment when CVSS, KEV, EPSS, exploit evidence or remediation changes.
Mitigation target: As exposure requiresRemediation target: Within 365 days

This automated reassessment organises public evidence. It does not know asset exposure, business impact or control effectiveness and does not replace CVSS or a human risk decision.

Distribution package intelligence

Release-specific package status

Alpine, Debian findings are scoped to the named distribution, release and source package. An absent finding does not mean a package is unaffected.

7 package states
Repository candidate not checked

A published vendor fix does not prove that a matching update is enabled and installable on a particular asset. Confirm the local package candidate before scheduling remediation.

Distribution releaseSource packageVendor stateFixed versionEvidence
Alpine v3.23v3.23 · mainzshVendor fix publishedAlpine records a security fix at this version. An absent entry does not mean the package is unaffected.5.8-r0Alpine Security Database ↗Source updated 23 Oct 2026
Alpine v3.22v3.22 · mainzshVendor fix publishedAlpine records a security fix at this version. An absent entry does not mean the package is unaffected.5.8-r0Alpine Security Database ↗Source updated 23 Oct 2026
Alpine v3.21v3.21 · mainzshVendor fix publishedAlpine records a security fix at this version. An absent entry does not mean the package is unaffected.5.8-r0Alpine Security Database ↗Source updated 23 Oct 2026
Debian trixietrixie · sourcezshVendor fix publishedDebian records a fixed source-package version for this release.5.8-1Debian Security Tracker ↗Source updated 24 Oct 2026
Debian bookwormbookworm · sourcezshVendor fix publishedDebian records a fixed source-package version for this release.5.8-1Debian Security Tracker ↗Source updated 24 Oct 2026
Debian forkyforky · sourcezshVendor fix publishedDebian records a fixed source-package version for this release.5.8-1Debian Security Tracker ↗Source updated 24 Oct 2026
Debian sidsid · sourcezshVendor fix publishedDebian records a fixed source-package version for this release.5.8-1Debian Security Tracker ↗Source updated 24 Oct 2026
Direct vendor intelligence

Authoritative vendor CSAF and VEX advisories

Structured product status and remediation from the issuing vendor. Product-state explanations are always visible; large lists can be searched or downloaded.

1 current
CVE-2019-20044 · CSAF 2.0 · revision 43 · interimSUSE Product Security TeamCVE-2019-20044
18 known affected

The vendor explicitly identifies these products as affected by this CVE.

  • zsh as component of SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 12 SP4
  • zsh as component of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP4
  • zsh as component of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 12 SP5
  • SLES 15 SP1 CHOST Images for Amazon EC2
  • SLES 15 SP2 CHOST Images for Amazon EC2
  • SLES 15 SP3 CHOST Images for Amazon EC2
  • SLES 15 SP4 CHOST Images for Amazon EC2
  • SLES 15 SP5 CHOST Images for Amazon EC2
  • SLES 15 SP1 CHOST Images for Google
  • SLES 15 SP2 CHOST Images for Google
  • SLES 15 SP3 CHOST Images for Google
  • SLES 15 SP4 CHOST Images for Google
Summary
In Zsh before 5.8, attackers able to execute commands can regain privileges dropped by the --no-PRIVILEGED option. Zsh fails to overwrite the saved uid, so the original privileges can be restored by executing MODULE_PATH=/dir/with/module zmodload with a module that calls setuid().
Remediation
To install this SUSE Security Update use the SUSE recommended installation methods like YaST online_update or "zypper patch".
Optional official sources

National CERT insights
?CERT means Computer Emergency Response Team; CSIRT is the closely related term Computer Security Incident Response Team.

Choose official national sources for this report. Each advisory shows its original language. Your selection is remembered on this device and included in shared links.

Official European source

ENISA European Vulnerability Database

Official EUVD identifiers, advisory evidence and known-exploited context. Missing fields are not treated as evidence of low risk.

1 current
ENISA EUVD identifier

EUVD-2019-10600

No EUVD known-exploited evidence

ENISA has published the identifier mapping but no EUVD description has been stored yet.

EUVD state
Present in the current official mapping
Known exploitation
Not present in the current ENISA EUVD known-exploited dataset. This is not proof of no exploitation.
ENISA score
Not supplied in the stored EUVD record
Advisory evidence
No linked advisory details stored yet
Recommended actionWithin 7 days

High technical severity; prioritise exposed affected systems while verifying vendor guidance.

Patch available
01

What, why and how

In Zsh before 5.8, attackers able to execute commands can regain privileges dropped by the --no-PRIVILEGED option. Zsh fails to overwrite the saved uid, so the original privileges can be restored by executing MODULE_PATH=/dir/with/module zmodload with a module that calls setuid().

What

In Zsh before 5.8, attackers able to execute commands can regain privileges dropped by the --no-PRIVILEGED option. Zsh fails to overwrite the saved uid, so the original privileges can be restored by executing MODULE_PATH=/dir/with/module zmodload with a module that calls setuid().

Why

The product attempts to drop privileges but does not check or incorrectly checks to see if the drop succeeded.

How

An attacker operating through local access may attempt exploitation with low privileges. If successful, the issue may execute code or commands in the affected security context.

What

In Zsh before 5.8, attackers able to execute commands can regain privileges dropped by the --no-PRIVILEGED option. Zsh fails to overwrite the saved uid, so the original privileges can be restored by executing MODULE_PATH=/dir/with/module zmodload with a module that calls setuid().

Why

The product attempts to drop privileges but does not check or incorrectly checks to see if the drop succeeded.

How

An attacker operating through local access may attempt exploitation with low privileges. If successful, the issue may execute code or commands in the affected security context.

02

Exploit reality and attack path

CVSS severity, EPSS forecast probability, public exploit material and CISA-confirmed exploitation are separate signals.

Observed exploitation
?Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.
No confirmed evidence

No CISA KEV match was present at the last successful refresh. This means no confirmation from that source, not proof of no exploitation.

Public PoC / exploit material
?Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.
None recorded

No exploit-tagged reference or CISA SSVC proof-of-concept state is currently recorded. Research may still exist outside the structured feeds.

Likely attack path
local access → Improper Check for Dropped Privileges → execute code or commands in the affected security context
Attack surface
Local
Privileges required
Low: a basic authenticated account is required
User interaction
None
Attack complexity
Low: no specialised conditions are recorded
Security boundary
Unchanged: impact remains within the vulnerable component's security authority
Weakness
?CWE means Common Weakness Enumeration: a standard category for the underlying weakness.
CWE-273 ↗

CWE-273: Improper Check for Dropped Privileges. The product attempts to drop privileges but does not check or incorrectly checks to see if the drop succeeded.

CVSS vector
?CVSS means Common Vulnerability Scoring System. The vector records the metric values used to calculate technical severity.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Common Vulnerability Scoring System 3.1: the compact vector below is decoded into plain language.

AVLocalAttack vector: The attacker needs local access to the vulnerable system.ACLowAttack complexity: No specialised conditions are required beyond attacker-controlled input.PRLowPrivileges required: The attacker needs basic user-level privileges.UINoneUser interaction: No action by another user is required.SUnchangedScope: The security impact remains within the vulnerable component's authority.CHighConfidentiality impact: A successful attack can cause a major loss.IHighIntegrity impact: A successful attack can cause a major loss.AHighAvailability impact: A successful attack can cause a major loss.
Post-exploitation / living off the land
After compromise, an attacker may use built-in shells, scripting engines, scheduled tasks and native network utilities for discovery, persistence or movement. This is a plausible LoTL path, not evidence that it has occurred for every attack.
Remote code executionCWE-273
A

Official authority intelligence

Only matched European and national findings are included. Language selectors and unavailable sources are omitted.

CERT-FR · French · CERTFR-2020-AVI-321Multiples vulnérabilités dans les produits Apple

e sécurité de l'éditeur pour l'obtention des correctifs (cf. section Documentation). Documentation Bulletin de sécurité Apple HT211170 du 26 mai 2020 https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT211170 Bulletin de sécurité Apple HT211177 du 26 mai 2020 https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT211177 Bulletin de sécurité Apple HT211179 du 26 mai 2020 https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT211179 Bulletin de sécurité Apple HT211181 du 26 mai 2020 https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT211181 Bulletin de sécurité Apple HT211186 du 26 mai 2020 https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT211186 Référence CVE CVE-2019-14868 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-14868 Référence CVE CVE-2019-20044 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-20044 Référence CVE CVE-2019-20503 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-20503 Référence CVE CVE-2020-3878 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-3878 Référence CVE CVE-2020-3882 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-3882 Référence CVE CVE-2020-9771 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-9771 Référence CVE CVE-2020-9772 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-9772 Référence CVE CVE-2020-9788 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-9788 Référence CVE CVE-2020-9789 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-9789 Référence CVE CVE-2020-9790 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-9790

Official advisory ↗
JVN iPedia · Japanese · JVNDB-2019-014656Zsh における削除された特権に対する不適切なチェックに関する脆弱性

Zsh には、削除された特権に対する不適切なチェックに関する脆弱性が存在します。

Official advisory ↗
03

Patch and workaround

Operational remediation based on structured source evidence.

Status
?Patch availability is based on structured fixed-version fields and authoritative update references. If no fix is verified, check the vendor advisory before making a change.
Patch available
Affected
Fixed
No fixed version is explicitly recorded in the structured CVE data.
Action
To install this SUSE Security Update use the SUSE recommended installation methods like YaST online_update or "zypper patch".
Workaround
No verified workaround is recorded. Limit untrusted access and use least privilege until authoritative guidance is available.
04

Evidence and provenance

Published 24 Feb 2020 · Last source change 5 Aug 2024, 02:32 UTC · CWE-273 · Improper Check for Dropped Privileges

CVE recordCVE.org · 5.1
CVSS sourceNIST NVD
EPSS source
?The date BlackTree first stored a score for this CVE from the daily FIRST EPSS feed.
FIRST · tracked since 2026-08-14
European sourceENISA EUVD · EUVD-2019-10600
Product sourceVendor CSAF · SUSE Product Security Team
Remediation sourceVendor CSAF · SUSE Product Security Team
CWE sourceNIST NVD
NVD statusNVD modified after enrichment

Missing structured fields: affected product. Missing data is not evidence of low risk; review the primary advisory.

Material change intelligence

What changed after publication

View recent updates ↗
  1. Remediation statusRemediation status changed from Awaiting fix to Mitigation available.
    Before
    Awaiting fix
    After
    Mitigation available
    SUSE Product Security Team ↗
Material fields only · duplicate refreshes suppressed · history retained for the configured operational retention period
CVE published
Remediation guidance recorded
ENISA EUVD · EUVD-2019-10600↗SUSE Product Security Team security advisory↗Vendor advisory↗CVE authority or vendor reference↗Official CVE record (CNA and ADP data)↗NVD record↗
Technical terms and abbreviations used in this report
CVE
Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures: the public identifier for one disclosed vulnerability.
CVSS
Common Vulnerability Scoring System: a technical severity framework; it is not patching priority by itself.
EPSS
Exploit Prediction Scoring System: FIRST's estimate of the probability that exploitation activity will be observed in the next 30 days; it is a forecast, not confirmation.
CWE
Common Weakness Enumeration: the standard category describing the underlying software or hardware weakness.
CNA
CVE Numbering Authority: an organisation authorised to assign and publish CVE records.
CISA ADP
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Authorized Data Publisher: structured enrichment added to a CVE record.
NVD
National Vulnerability Database: NIST's enrichment service for CVE records.
CERT / CSIRT
A computer security incident response team that publishes warnings or coordinates incident response.
PoC
Proof of concept: public material that demonstrates or helps reproduce exploitation.
CSAF
Common Security Advisory Framework: a machine-readable format for security advisories.
LoTL
Living off the land: abuse of legitimate tools or system functions during an attack.
Free version - for non-commercial use only.CVE-2019-20044 · cve.blacktree.nl