CVE-2019-19781 — Citrix ADC, Gateway, and SD-WAN WANOP Appliance Code Execution Vulnerability
An issue was discovered in Citrix Application Delivery Controller (ADC) and Gateway 10.5, 11.1, 12.0, 12.1, and 13.0. They allow Directory Traversal.
Who exploits it and how urgent it is
A 0–100 score combining confirmed exploitation, ransomware and APT use, public exploits, EPSS and severity.
How the score was calculated
- Confirmed exploitation (CISA KEV)+35
- Used in ransomware campaigns (CISA)+10
- Exploited by 3 threat actor(s) (MITRE ATT&CK)+10
- Public exploit/PoC (nuclei, metasploit, exploitdb)+20
- EPSS 100% (30-day exploitation probability)+15
- Technical severity (critical)+10
- Automatable exploitation (SSVC)+3
The score orders the patch queue; it does not replace your asset context (internet exposure, criticality, compensating controls).
Triage
Is it exploited, how likely is exploitation, what does it touch, and how severe do the sources call it.
CISA SSVC assessment CISA
Three decision points CISA publishes for the CVEs it assesses (SSVC 2.0.3). A stakeholder decision, not a severity score.
Remediation
Fixes and mitigations documented by the sources — linked to the original advisory.
No fix documented by the sources we poll. That does not mean none exists: check the vendor advisory.
CISA required action CISA
Apply updates per vendor instructions.
US federal deadline: May 3, 2022 — passed 1626 day(s) ago
First 24 hours
Ordered from the record’s own fields — exposure first, because you cannot patch what you have not found. A rule-generated starting point.
- Identify exposed assets running the affected vendor/product/version combinations (Citrix Application Delivery Controller Firmware, Citrix Gateway Firmware, Citrix Netscaler Gateway Firmware).
- Treat as emergency remediation: the CVE is in CISA KEV (confirmed exploitation).
- The attack is network-based and needs no privileges: restrict exposure (ACLs, VPN, WAF) until patched.
- No fix documented in the sources: reduce exposure and monitor the vendor advisory.
- EPSS ahead of 100% of scored CVEs: prioritize it in the patch queue.
- Search available logs for exploit probes matching the vulnerability class (file handling), errors and authentication anomalies.
Affected scope
Vendor, product and versions as the sources word them.
| Vendor | Product | Versions | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Citrix | Application Delivery Controller Firmware | version 10.5version 11.1version 12.0version 12.1version 13.0 | Vulnerable | NIST National Vulnerability Database |
| Citrix | Gateway Firmware | version 13.0 | Vulnerable | NIST National Vulnerability Database |
| Citrix | Netscaler Gateway Firmware | version 10.5version 11.1version 12.0version 12.1 | Vulnerable | NIST National Vulnerability Database |
Attack characteristics
The CVSS vector, decoded. It describes the attack, not your exposure to it.
Every base score collected
Sources score independently and may disagree; each row says who scored it and under which version.
| Score | Version | Severity | Expl. | Impact | Scored by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9.8 | CVSS 3.1 | Critical | 3.9 | 5.9 | nvd@nist.gov via NIST National Vulnerability Database |
| 9.8 | CVSS 3.1 | Critical | 3.9 | 5.9 | 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0 via NIST National Vulnerability Database |
| 9.8 | CVSS 3.1 | Critical | — | — | GitHub, Inc. via GitHub Security Advisories |
| 9.8 | CVSS 3.1 | Critical | — | — | CISA-ADP via CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP |
| 7.5 | CVSS 2.0 | High | 10.0 | 6.4 | nvd@nist.gov via NIST National Vulnerability Database |
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H (score shown at the top: nvd@nist.gov) Weakness MITRE
Weakness class according to MITRE’s CWE catalog.
CISA KEV details CISA
CISA lists a CVE once it has evidence of exploitation against real targets.
CISA records ransomware use only for campaigns it has confirmed, so “Unknown” means unrecorded, not ruled out. The deadline binds US federal agencies; for everyone else it is a reference date.
Public exploits, PoCs and detection templates
Public code that demonstrates or tests the flaw raises the odds of mass exploitation — and Nuclei templates help find vulnerable assets in your environment.
- Citrix ADC (NetScaler) Directory Traversal Scanner normal Dec 17, 2019
- Citrix ADC (NetScaler) Directory Traversal RCE excellent Dec 17, 2019
Warning: public PoCs are sometimes disguised malware. Use them only for authorized testing in an isolated environment. This portal does not host exploit code — it only points to the sources.
Threat actors exploiting this CVE MITRE ATT&CK
According to MITRE ATT&CK.
APT29 G0016APT41 G0096Dragonfly G0035Associated ransomware groups ransomware.live
mazeEPSS over time FIRST
Oct 13, 2026 → Oct 14, 2026 · 2 reading(s) · max 100.00%
Detection
Read off the CVSS vector and the weakness class. Starting points, not tested rules.
- Prioritize edge telemetry for the network-reachable component (proxy, WAF, IDS/IPS).
- Monitor file creation in web directories and paths with traversal sequences (../).
- Hunt retroactively in logs from before Nov 3, 2021 (KEV listing): exploitation may have started earlier.
Timeline
What happened to this CVE, newest first.
- 2026
- SSVC assessment updated
- Record published
- Affected products added · citrix/application delivery controller firmware, citrix/netscaler gateway firmware, citrix/gateway firmware
- CVSS changed · 9.8
- Source status changed · → Analyzed
- Added to CISA KEV (detected)
- Record created in this database
- 2021
- Added to CISA KEV catalog
- 2019
- CVE published
Source activity
Repeated readings are counted rather than listed.
- 2× References added · Oct 13, 2026 – Oct 13, 2026
- 1× Official description updated · Oct 13, 2026 – Oct 13, 2026
References
14 on the record
- support.citrix.com/article/CTX267027
- www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog
- www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/619785
- github.com/advisories/GHSA-jjcm-f6q3-w5xj
- packetstormsecurity.com/files/155930/Citrix-Application-Delivery-Controller-Gateway-10.5-Remo
- packetstormsecurity.com/files/155905/Citrix-Application-Delivery-Controller-Gateway-Remote-Co
- badpackets.net/over-25000-citrix-netscaler-endpoints-vulnerable-to-cve-2019-19781/
- forms.gle/eDf3DXZAv96oosfj6
- packetstormsecurity.com/files/155904/Citrix-Application-Delivery-Controller-Gateway-Remote-Co
- nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-19781
- badpackets.net/over-25000-citrix-netscaler-endpoints-vulnerable-to-cve-2019-19781
- twitter.com/bad_packets/status/1215431625766424576
- packetstormsecurity.com/files/155972/Citrix-ADC-Gateway-Path-Traversal.html
- packetstormsecurity.com/files/155947/Citrix-ADC-NetScaler-Directory-Traversal-Remote-Code-Exe
Elsewhere on this site
Related CVEs (same products)
- Critical CVE-2022-27518 Citrix Application Delivery Controller (ADC) and Gateway Authentication Bypass Vulnerability KEV Dec 13, 2022
- Medium CVE-2020-8193 Citrix ADC, Gateway, and SD-WAN WANOP Appliance Authorization Bypass Vulnerability KEV Jul 10, 2020
- Medium CVE-2020-8195 Citrix ADC, Gateway, and SD-WAN WANOP Appliance Information Disclosure Vulnerability KEV Jul 10, 2020
- Medium CVE-2020-8196 Citrix ADC, Gateway, and SD-WAN WANOP Appliance Information Disclosure Vulnerability KEV Jul 10, 2020
Not in any source we poll
Listed rather than left blank: an empty field and an unmeasured one look identical on screen, and only one is a reason to look elsewhere.
- No fixed version, patch or mitigation documented.
- No confirmed IOCs, IP addresses, domains, file hashes, or malware artifacts supplied.
- No organization-specific asset inventory, compensating-control status, or patch deployment evidence supplied.
- No exploit packet captures, log samples, or incident case IDs supplied.
Answered from this record
Text assembled only from the fields above — no additional claims.
What should defenders know first?
CVE-2019-19781 is "Citrix ADC, Gateway, and SD-WAN WANOP Appliance Code Execution Vulnerability", rated Critical. It affects Application Delivery Controller Firmware (Citrix); versions are in the scope table. It is in CISA KEV: there is evidence of real-world exploitation. CVSS 9.8 describes technical severity. EPSS 100.00% estimates the probability of exploitation in 30 days; neither replaces your asset context. First verify whether exposed or business-critical assets run the affected versions, apply vendor fixes or mitigations, and preserve logs for review.
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