CVE-2019-16396

HIGH

GnuCOBOL 2.2 has a use-after-free in the end_scope_of_program_name() function in cobc/parser.y via crafted COBOL source code.

Affects 1 product across 1 vendor.

CVSS 3.17.8
EPSS1.2%
Percentile67th
PatchUnknown
CVSS Vector — Plain English Requires local access, low complexity, no authentication required, requires user interaction, impact contained to the vulnerable component, full confidentiality impact, full integrity impact, full availability impact.
CWE Weakness Definitions
CWE-416: Use After Free

Software references memory after it has been freed, leading to corruption, crashes, or code execution.

◆ AI Analysis — automated analysis, not human-reviewed

This vulnerability was disclosed in 2019. A high severity vulnerability affects Gnucobol Project systems (CVE-2019-16396). No public exploit code is currently available. Isolate affected systems if patching is not feasible.

BSID: BS-2019-GLOBAL-268617-H • Model: rule-based-v1 • Confidence: MEDIUM

Is this CVE in your environment?

BreachSpider monitors your ICS/OT environment for vulnerabilities like this one. No agents or network access required. Free to start.

Check My Environment →
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CVE-2019-16396?
This vulnerability was disclosed in 2019. A high severity vulnerability affects Gnucobol Project systems (CVE-2019-16396). No public exploit code is currently available. Isolate affected systems if patching is not feasible.
What is the CVSS score for CVE-2019-16396?
CVE-2019-16396 has CVSS 7.8 (High). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H. EPSS: 1.2%.
Is CVE-2019-16396 actively exploited?
No confirmed active exploitation of CVE-2019-16396 as of 2026-05-30.
How do I remediate CVE-2019-16396?
Priority: MEDIUM.
What systems are affected by CVE-2019-16396?
CVE-2019-16396 affects Gnucobol Project Gnucobol.
Vulnerability Details
CVE IDCVE-2019-16396
BSIDBS-2019-GLOBAL-268617-H BreachSpider Global ID
CVSS VectorCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Published2019-09-17
Last Modified2024-11-21
ICS Relevance0%
Weakness (CWE)
SourceNVD
Official Description

GnuCOBOL 2.2 has a use-after-free in the end_scope_of_program_name() function in cobc/parser.y via crafted COBOL source code.

Source: NIST NVD / MITRE CVE Database

Attack Vector Analysis — CITED Relevance

Vulnerability details: GnuCOBOL 2.2 has a use-after-free in the end_scope_of_program_name() function in cobc/parser.y via crafted COBOL source code. CVSS vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.

Exploitation Likelihood: MINIMAL

Affected Products
VendorProductAffected Versions
Gnucobol Project Gnucobol 2.2
Remediation

No official vendor advisory link on record. See the CVE record →

Threat Intelligence
● Threat Intelligence Validated: October 2026 | Threat Age: 2585 Days
CISA known-exploitedNot in KEV catalog
Public ExploitNot confirmed
PoC CodeNot confirmed
AI Enrichment Record — provenance & audit hash
Modelrule-based-v1
ConfidenceMEDIUM
Enriched At2026-05-24
SHA-512 Audit Hasha50aaeadb36f3c884a2341f3b0a66d6c35be9136090619df669077991c320c9a8502522215cd888363d92baa6798dbcec8e9b055623f42e94a50ee292c8d1069
Related CVEs affecting Gnucobol Project
CVE-2019-14468 7.8 GnuCOBOL 2.2 has a buffer overflow in cb_push_op in cobc/field.c via crafted ... CVE-2019-14486 7.8 GnuCOBOL 2.2 has a buffer overflow in cb_evaluate_expr in cobc/field.c via cr... CVE-2019-14528 7.8 GnuCOBOL 2.2 has a heap-based buffer overflow in read_literal in cobc/scanner... CVE-2019-14541 7.8 GnuCOBOL 2.2 has a stack-based buffer overflow in cb_encode_program_id in cob... CVE-2019-16395 7.8 GnuCOBOL 2.2 has a stack-based buffer overflow in the cb_name() function in c...
View all Gnucobol Project CVEs →

ICS/OT Vulnerability Intelligence for Your Environment

BreachSpider tracks 384,000+ CVEs and matches them to your ICS/OT assets by exact version, with AI analysis, NERC CIP mapping, and vendor PSIRT contacts.

Create a free account →