What is CVE-2019-16174?

CVE-2019-16174 is a high-severity vulnerability in Limesurvey, classified under Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference (XXE). CVSS score: 8.8/10. Published 2019-09-09.

How severe is CVE-2019-16174?

High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 8.8 out of 10.

XXE in Limesurvey

CVE-2019-16174

An XML injection vulnerability was found in Limesurvey before 3.17.14 that allows remote attackers to import specially crafted XML files and execute code or compromise data integrity.

Vulnerability class: XXE (XML External Entity)

Published 2019-09-09 · last modified 2026-06-17.

CVSS v3 metric

CVSS v3 base score 8.8 (High). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.

EPSS exploit prediction

EPSS: 0.024 (83.2th percentile), scored 2026-10-04.

Low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, but still tracked. 83rd percentile — 83.2% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.

EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.024 · newest: 0.024 · change: 0.000

Affected products

Limesurvey

Weakness classification (CWE)

CWE-611 — Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference (XXE)

References

www.limesurvey.org/limesurvey-updates/2188-limesurvey-3-17-14-build-190902-rele… (Release Notes, Vendor Advisory)
github.com/LimeSurvey/LimeSurvey/commit/5870fd1037058bc4e43cccf893b576c72293371e (Patch, Third Party Advisory, Release Notes)

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2019-16174?: CVE-2019-16174 is a high-severity vulnerability in Limesurvey, classified under Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference (XXE). CVSS score: 8.8/10. Published 2019-09-09.
How severe is CVE-2019-16174?: High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 8.8 out of 10.