CVE-2019-16278
Directory Traversal in the function http_verify in nostromo nhttpd through 1.9.6 allows an attacker to achieve remote code execution via a crafted HTTP request.
do firstApply mitigations per vendor instructions or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.
Can a WAF block it? Yes. The vulnerability is a directory traversal via a crafted HTTP request, which typically involves ../ sequences in the URL path that a WAF can detect and block without affecting normal users. A WAF rule can match ../ sequences in the URL path. No tracked WAF vendor has published a rule for this CVE yet, so you would write it yourself.
What a custom rule would match: ../ sequences in the URL path
Also consider: patch · custom WAF rule · canonical path validation
Based on an AI reading of the CVE description, and no vendor rule found yet. We check Cloudflare, AWS, Google Cloud Armor and Azure; for Akamai, Imperva, Fastly, F5, ask your vendor.
Is CVE-2019-16278 being exploited?
Yes. CVE-2019-16278 appears in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, which means exploitation in the wild has been confirmed and reported. Treat it as active rather than theoretical, and patch it ahead of higher-scoring vulnerabilities that carry no exploitation evidence.
How severe is CVE-2019-16278?
CVE-2019-16278 is rated Critical with a CVSS score of 9.8. Severity describes how bad exploitation would be, not how likely it is: pair it with exploitation evidence before deciding what to patch first.
Is there a patch for CVE-2019-16278?
Yes. A fix has been recorded for CVE-2019-16278. The vendor advisory is the authority on the exact fixed version — apply it from there rather than from a summary.
What does CVE-2019-16278 affect?
CVE-2019-16278 affects nazgul:nostromo_nhttpd. Confirm the exact affected versions against the vendor advisory before deciding you are exposed.
Exploitation status reflects CISA's KEV catalog as we last synced it. Check the catalog directly.
public exploits
Public exploit code: 2 on Exploit-DB · 1 Metasploit module · 15 GitHub proofs of concept · 1 Nuclei template
- nostromo 1.9.6 - Remote Code Execution · remote · 1 Jan 2020 · verified
- Nostromo - Directory Traversal Remote Command Execution (Metasploit) · remote · 1 Nov 2019 · verified
- exploit/multi/http/nostromo_code_exec · exploit · good
- nostromo 1.9.6 - Remote Code Execution · detection template · critical
- jas502n/CVE-2019-16278 · 70 ★
- imjdl/CVE-2019-16278-PoC · 9 ★
- AnubisSec/CVE-2019-16278 · 8 ★
- aN0mad/CVE-2019-16278-Nostromo_1.9.6-RCE · 6 ★
Listed so you can judge urgency, not as a recommendation to run anything. GitHub “proofs of concept” are unvetted: some are fake or carry malware. Exploit-DB marks the entries its staff verified.
cisa ssvc
- exploitation
- active
- automatable
- yes
- technical impact
- total
Assessed by CISA 20 Aug 2025 (SSVC 2.0.3).
timeline
- 14 Oct 2019Published
- 15 Oct 2019First public exploit or proof of concept · same day later
- 7 Nov 2024Added to CISA KEV (exploited in the wild) · 1,850 days (about 5 years) later
- 28 Nov 2024CISA remediation due date (US federal agencies) · 21 days later
- 20 Aug 2025CISA SSVC assessment: exploitation active · 265 days (about 9 months) later
- 21 Oct 2025CVE record last updated · 63 days (about 2 months) later
- 2 Nov 2026Analysed by vulneraibility.com · 377 days (about 1 year) later
- Linknazgul.ch /dev/nostromo_cl.txt
- Linksp0re.sh
- Linkgit.sp0re.sh /sp0re/Nhttpd-exploits
- Linkpacketstormsecurity.com /files/155045/Nostromo-1.9.6-Directory-Traversal-Remote-Command-Execution.html
- Linkpacketstormsecurity.com /files/155802/nostromo-1.9.6-Remote-Code-Execution.html
- Linkcisa.gov /known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2019-16278
sources
- CVE List (CVE.org): description, affected versions, references; CVE Terms of Use
- NVD: CVSS and CPE data
- CISA KEV catalog: exploitation, date added, due date
- CISA Vulnrichment (ADP): SSVC decision points
- FIRST EPSS: exploit probability and percentile
- Exploit-DB: published exploits
- Metasploit Framework: exploit and scanner modules
- Nuclei templates: detection templates
- PoC-in-GitHub: GitHub repositories that claim a proof of concept
- Summary, impact and triage tags: written by our AI analysis pipeline from the sources above. Check them against the sources.