CVE-2019-5645 — Rapid7 Metasploit HTTP Handler Denial of Service
By sending a specially crafted HTTP GET request to a listening Rapid7 Metasploit HTTP handler, an attacker can register an arbitrary regular expression. When evaluated, this malicious handler can either prevent new HTTP handler sessions from being established, or cause a resource exhaustion on the Metasploit server.
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
- Public exploit/PoC (metasploit)+12
- EPSS 49.2% (30-day exploitation probability)+15
- Technical severity (high)+6
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.
Remediation
Fixes and mitigations documented by the sources — linked to the original advisory.
- Documented patch — github.com (NIST National Vulnerability Database)
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 (Rapid7 Metasploit, Rapid7 Metasploit Framework).
- The attack is network-based and needs no privileges: restrict exposure (ACLs, VPN, WAF) until patched.
- Apply the fixed version or the patch documented under Remediation.
- EPSS ahead of 99% of scored CVEs: prioritize it in the patch queue.
- Search available logs for exploit probes matching the vulnerability class (denial of service), errors and authentication anomalies.
Affected scope
Vendor, product and versions as the sources word them.
| Vendor | Product | Versions | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rapid7 | Metasploit | ≤ 5.0.27 | Vulnerable | NIST National Vulnerability Database |
| Rapid7 | Metasploit Framework | ≤ 5.0.27 | Vulnerable | CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7.5 | CVSS 3.1 | High | 3.9 | 3.6 | cve@rapid7.com via NIST National Vulnerability Database |
| 7.5 | CVSS 3.1 | High | 3.9 | 3.6 | nvd@nist.gov via NIST National Vulnerability Database |
| 7.5 | CVSS 3.1 | High | — | — | GitHub, Inc. via GitHub Security Advisories |
| 7.5 | CVSS 3.1 | High | — | — | rapid7 via CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP |
| 5.0 | CVSS 2.0 | Medium | 10.0 | 2.9 | nvd@nist.gov via NIST National Vulnerability Database |
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H (score shown at the top: nvd@nist.gov) Weakness MITRE
Weakness class according to MITRE’s CWE catalog.
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.
- Metasploit HTTP(S) handler DoS normal Sep 4, 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.
EPSS over time FIRST
Oct 22, 2026 → Oct 27, 2026 · 6 reading(s) · max 49.18%
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).
- Track CPU/memory spikes and availability drops correlated with request patterns.
Timeline
What happened to this CVE, newest first.
- 2026
- Affected products added · rapid7/metasploit framework
- Record published
- Fix documented
- Affected products added · rapid7/metasploit
- CVSS changed · 7.5
- Source status changed · → Modified
- Record created in this database
- 2020
- CVE published
Source activity
Repeated readings are counted rather than listed.
- 2× References added · Oct 22, 2026 – Oct 22, 2026
- 1× Official description updated · Oct 22, 2026 – Oct 22, 2026
References
5 on the record
Elsewhere on this site
Related CVEs (same products)
- Medium CVE-2026-109682 Metasploit Framework HTTP Redirect Server-Side Request Forgery 7d
- Medium CVE-2026-109681 Metasploit Framework FTP PASV Response SSRF 7d
- Critical CVE-2026-87689 Metasploit Framework Web Service REST API Missing Authentication on Credential Endpoints 15d
- High CVE-2026-87690 Metasploit Framework ios_image_gather Path Traversal Leading to Arbitrary File Write and Code Execution 16d
- Medium CVE-2026-16895 Authentication Bypass in Metasploit JSON-RPC Service When DB Health Check Fails Aug 27, 2026
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 CISA SSVC assessment.
- 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-2019-5645 is "Rapid7 Metasploit HTTP Handler Denial of Service", rated High. It affects Metasploit (Rapid7); versions are in the scope table. It is not in CISA KEV, which does not rule out exploitation. CVSS 7.5 describes technical severity. EPSS 49.18% 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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