CVE-2019-9852: Insufficient URL encoding flaw in allowed script location check

Published Aug 15, 2019
·
Updated

A vulnerability was found in LibreOffice prior to 6.2.6. LibreOffice has a feature where documents can specify that pre-installed macros can be executed on various script events such as mouse-over, document-open etc. Access is intended to be restricted to scripts under the share/Scripts/python, user/Scripts/python sub-directories of the LibreOffice install. Protection was added, to address CVE-2018-16858, to avoid a directory traversal attack where scripts in arbitrary locations on the file system could be executed. However this new protection could be bypassed by a URL encoding attack. In the fixed versions, the parsed url describing the script location is correctly encoded before further processing.

Reference: https://seclists.org/bugtraq/2019/Aug/28

Other sources

LibreOffice has a feature where documents can specify that pre-installed macros can be executed on various script events such as mouse-over, document-open etc. Access is intended to be restricted to scripts under the share/Scripts/python, user/Scripts/python sub-directories of the LibreOffice install. Protection was added, to address CVE-2018-16858, to avoid a directory traversal attack where scripts in arbitrary locations on the file system could be executed. However this new protection could be bypassed by a URL encoding attack. In the fixed versions, the parsed url describing the script location is correctly encoded before further processing. This issue affects: Document Foundation LibreOffice versions prior to 6.2.6.

Launchpad

Affected Software

13 affected componentsFixes available
redhat/LibreOffice<6.2.6
6.2.6
redhat/LibreOffice<6.3.0
6.3.0
Canonical Ubuntu Linux=16.04
Canonical Ubuntu Linux=18.04
Canonical Ubuntu Linux=19.04
Debian Debian Linux=8.0
Debian Debian Linux=9.0
Debian Debian Linux=10.0
Fedoraproject Fedora=29
openSUSE Leap=15.0
openSUSE Leap=15.1
LibreOffice Libreoffice<6.2.6
debian/libreoffice
1:7.0.4-4+deb11u101:7.0.4-4+deb11u134:7.4.7-1+deb12u104:7.4.7-1+deb12u84:25.2.3-2+deb13u34:26.2.0-1

Event History

Aug 15, 2019
CVE Published
via MITRE·09:40 PM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·09:40 PM
DescriptionWeakness
Data Sourced
via NVD·10:15 PM
RemedyDescriptionSeverityWeaknessAffected Software
Feb 23, 2026
Data Sourced
via Ubuntu·05:44 PM
RemedyDescriptionSeverityAffected Software
Data Sourced
via Launchpad·05:45 PM
Description
Data Sourced
via Debian·05:45 PM
DescriptionAffected Software
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Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is CVE-2019-9852?

CVE-2019-9852 is a vulnerability in LibreOffice that allows documents to execute pre-installed macros on various script events, which can lead to unauthorized execution of potentially malicious code.

2

How severe is CVE-2019-9852?

CVE-2019-9852 has a severity rating of 7.8, which is considered high.

3

What software is affected by CVE-2019-9852?

LibreOffice versions 6.0.7-0ubuntu0.18.04.9, 6.2.6-0ubuntu0.19.04.1, 6.3.0-1, 5.1.6~, 6.2.6, and 6.3.0 are affected by CVE-2019-9852.

4

How can I fix CVE-2019-9852?

To fix CVE-2019-9852, update LibreOffice to versions 6.0.7-0ubuntu0.18.04.9, 6.2.6-0ubuntu0.19.04.1, 6.3.0-1, 5.1.6~, 6.2.6, or 6.3.0 or apply the necessary patches provided by your operating system or software vendor.

5

Where can I find more information about CVE-2019-9852?

You can find more information about CVE-2019-9852 at the following references: [link1], [link2], [link3].

Contact

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