CVE-2019-18988

CRITICALNVD 7.09.0
EchelonGraph scoreHIGH confidence

“▲” beside the score: it is higher than NVD's CVSS score.

Score elevated to 9.0 because this CVE is listed on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog (added 2021-11-03), indicating real-world exploitation has been confirmed by US federal agencies. NVD baseline CVSS 7.0 retained for reference. The 9.0 is the floor for confirmed exploitation, not an impact rating: this CVE's impact severity (EG Severity) is CVSS 7.0 HIGH under GitHub Security Advisory CVSS. Confidence: HIGH.

Triggered by: CISA KEV (actively exploited)
Sources: CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, EPSS, GitHub Security Advisory, NVD CVSS v3
Trending — 3 sources updated this weekExploited in the wild

Also known asEUVD-2019-8642 (ENISA EUVD) · GHSA-98mp-frx2-qv94 (GitHub Security Advisories)Source: ENISA EUVD

9.0EG
EchelonGraph verdictMitigate nowTreat as an emergency — this is being exploited.
  • Actively exploited in the wild (CISA-KEV) — the reason this is sooner than the SSVC decision on this page at every mission impact level
CISA-KEV: ExploitedEPSS PROB: 4.7%CVSS: 7.0Exploit: Metasploit · other public PoCExposed services: Not assessed

No fix has been recorded since the CVE record was published in 2020 — use a compensating control (WAF / firewall / segmentation) and check the vendor's advisory.

The CVE record's description, written by its CNA (MITRE Corporation), states the affected versions: "TeamViewer Desktop through 14.7.1965 allows a bypass of remote-login access control because the same key is used for different customers' installations." No release containing a fix is confirmed on record.

TeamViewer Desktop through 14.7.1965 allows a bypass of remote-login access control because the same key is used for different customers' installations. It used a shared AES key for all installations since at least as far back as v7.0.43148, and used it for at least OptionsPasswordAES in the current version of the product. If an attacker were to know this key, they could decrypt protect information stored in the registry or configuration files of TeamViewer. With versions before v9.x , this allowed for attackers to decrypt the Unattended Access password to the system (which allows for remote login to the system as well as headless file browsing). The latest version still uses the same key for OptionPasswordAES but appears to have changed how the Unattended Access password is stored. While in most cases an attacker requires an existing session on a system, if the registry/configuration keys were stored off of the machine (such as in a file share or online), an attacker could then decrypt the required password to login to the system.

CVSS v3
7.0
EG Score
9.0CRITICALhigh confidence
EG Risk
72
EG Risk 72/100

EG Risk is EchelonGraph's 0–100 priority score. It fuses impact severity (EG Severity, the CVSS base score, never the KEV-floored or EPSS-lifted EG Score) with real-world exploitation and automatability, under weights EchelonGraph set by hand, so you can rank equal-severity CVEs and fix the most dangerous first. Higher = act sooner.

How it’s computed (value × EchelonGraph’s weight)
Severity70% × 45%
Impact severity (EG Severity): CVSS 7.0 of 10. Never the KEV-floored or EPSS-lifted EG Score.
Exploitation100% × 40%
Fixed at 100% for a CISA KEV listing: EchelonGraph's rule.
Automatability0% × 15%
CISA's SSVC Automatable value: no (Vulnrichment).
SSVC (CISA's decision table, applied by EchelonGraph): Track at low or medium mission impact; Attend at high (mission-essential systems).
Exploitation active (CISA Vulnrichment) · Automatable no (CISA Vulnrichment) · Technical impact partial (CISA Vulnrichment). All three are CISA's SSVC values (Vulnrichment). EchelonGraph applied CISA's decision table to them; CISA publishes SSVC inputs and the table, not a decision for each CVE.
Action: No fix has been recorded since the CVE record was published in 2020. Check the vendor's advisory for a fixed release; until one is applied, restrict network exposure of the affected system or apply the vendor's mitigation on your normal schedule at low or medium mission impact and sooner than that at high.
EPSS PROB
4.7%
EPSS %ILE
91st
KEV
⚠ Exploited

What the EG score is made of (scorer v4.0: the three questions the 0–10 score mixes, published apart · methodology)

The EG score (9.0): severity, escalated by confirmed exploitation. This CVE's 9.0 is the CISA KEV floor for confirmed exploitation, not an impact rating: its impact severity (EG Severity) is CVSS 7.0 HIGH.

EG Severity
7.0 HIGHCVSS-B, impact only: no KEV listing, EPSS or EG-KEV tier raises it.GitHub Security Advisory CVSS
EG Likelihood
4.7% within 30 daysSource: FIRST EPSS (model v2026.06.15, score date 2026-11-01). FIRST's exploitation probability, not an EchelonGraph model.
Confirmed exploitation
CISA KEV and EG-KEV Tier 1 (exploited in the wild)Reported apart from the likelihood: an observed fact, not a probability.
EG Priority
SSVC Track at medium mission impactTrack at low or medium mission impact; Attend at high (mission-essential systems).CISA BOD 26-04: 14 days if the affected system is publicly exposed; 14 days if it is not.No released fix is confirmed on this page, but CISA's timeline does not wait for a fix's release: this CVE is in CISA's KEV catalog, and CISA's required action for it, quoted below, applies whether or not a fix is released.Each input and its source, and whom BOD 26-04 binds: the SSVC and BOD 26-04 blocks below.

SSVC (CISA's decision table, applied by EchelonGraph)Track at low or medium mission impact; Attend at high (mission-essential systems).

No fix has been recorded since the CVE record was published in 2020. Check the vendor's advisory for a fixed release; until one is applied, restrict network exposure of the affected system or apply the vendor's mitigation on your normal schedule at low or medium mission impact and sooner than that at high.

Exploitation active (CISA Vulnrichment) · Automatable no (CISA Vulnrichment) · Technical impact partial (CISA Vulnrichment). All three are CISA's SSVC values (Vulnrichment). EchelonGraph applied CISA's decision table to them; CISA publishes SSVC inputs and the table, not a decision for each CVE. Mission impact is CISA's Mission & Well-being decision point, and only you can judge it. CISA's table makes it high when Mission Prevalence is Essential — the vulnerable component "directly provides capabilities that constitute at least one MEF for at least one entity" (MEF: mission essential function) — or when Public Well-Being Impact is Irreversible: "multiple fatalities are likely", the cyber-physical system "is likely lost or destroyed", "extreme or serious externalities" are imposed on other parties, or social systems such as elections or the financial grid "are destabilized and potentially collapse". CISA's decision table

BOD 26-04 (CISA's remediation timeline, Table 1)14 days if the affected system is publicly exposed; 14 days if it is not.

No released fix is confirmed on this page, but CISA's timeline does not wait for a fix's release: this CVE is in CISA's KEV catalog, and CISA's required action for it, quoted below, applies whether or not a fix is released.

The score's inputs: In CISA KEV yes (CISA's KEV catalog) · Automatable no (CISA Vulnrichment) · Technical impact partial (CISA Vulnrichment). Whether your system is publicly exposed is yours to answer. BOD 26-04 binds US Federal Civilian Executive Branch agencies; for anyone else it is CISA's published timeline, a reference rather than an obligation. The directive · how EchelonGraph applies it

CISA required action“Apply updates per vendor instructions.”

Quoted verbatim from CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. CISA directs it at US federal civilian executive branch agencies under Binding Operational Directive (BOD) 26-04, which replaced BOD 22-01 on 10 June 2026; it is not EchelonGraph's advice. CISA's notes: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-18988

Published

February 7, 2020

Last Modified

November 7, 2025

Advisory Details (4)

Auto-updated Oct 27, 2026
⚠️ Actively exploited (CISA KEV, CISA Vulnrichment). No fix on record since 2020. Sources: cisa.
CISA🔴 Active Exploitation

Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog | CISA

Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog | CISA. Listed in CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.

https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2019-18988
Web page

TeamViewer - WhyNotSecurity

https://whynotsecurity.com/blog/teamviewer/
Web page

Nic Losby on X: "https://t.co/avUoHNCJ4G Teamviewer has been storing user passwords encrypted with AES, not hashed, in the registry accessible to low privilege users on the machine. This works for versions dating back from at least as far back as 2012 to the latest version." / X

https://twitter.com/Blurbdust/status/1224212682594770946?s=20
Web page

Specification on CVE-2019-18988 - TeamViewer Community

https://community.teamviewer.com/t5/Announcements/Specification-on-CVE-2019-18988/td-p/82264

Weakness Classification(1)

MITRE Common Weakness Enumeration — the root-cause categories this CVE belongs to.

Data Freshness Timeline

(refreshed 20× in last 7d / 139× in last 30d)

Each row is a time one of our pipelines fetched, updated or re-scored this CVE. For example, "NVD update" means NVD published or revised its analysis for this CVE; "MITRE cvelistV5" means we ingested or refreshed it from the CNA feed. An arrow marks a change the record states ("CVSS v3 → 9.1"); EPSS and GHSA rows show the values recorded at that time, not what changed (EPSS values are rounded; hover one for the exact figures). Most recent first.

Showing the most recent 100 of 1,219 refreshes on record for this CVE.

A repeat, a row identical to one the same pipeline wrote less than 10 seconds earlier, is not a separate refresh and is not counted. None are among the latest 100 rows. The 1,119 oldest rows on record are not shown and were not checked, so the counts can still include repeats.

  1. 2026-11-01 20:49 UTCEG score recompute
  2. 2026-11-01 20:49 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-98mp-frx2-qv94 · GitHub severity MODERATE · GitHub CVSS 7.0
  3. 2026-11-01 16:28 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 4.7% · 91st percentile
  4. 2026-10-31 22:19 UTCEG score recompute
  5. 2026-10-31 22:19 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-98mp-frx2-qv94 · GitHub CVSS 7.0
  6. 2026-10-31 16:28 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 4.7% · 91st percentile
  7. 2026-10-30 23:46 UTCEG score recompute
  8. 2026-10-30 23:46 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-98mp-frx2-qv94 · GitHub CVSS 7.0
  9. 2026-10-30 16:29 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 4.7% · 91st percentile
  10. 2026-10-30 01:16 UTCEG score recompute
  11. 2026-10-30 01:16 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-98mp-frx2-qv94 · GitHub CVSS 7.0
  12. 2026-10-29 16:28 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 4.7% · 91st percentile
  13. 2026-10-29 02:46 UTCEG score recompute
  14. 2026-10-29 02:45 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-98mp-frx2-qv94 · GitHub CVSS 7.0
  15. 2026-10-28 16:27 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 4.7% · 91st percentile
  16. 2026-10-28 04:15 UTCEG score recompute
  17. 2026-10-28 04:15 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-98mp-frx2-qv94 · GitHub CVSS 7.0
  18. 2026-10-27 16:27 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 4.7% · 91st percentile
  19. 2026-10-27 05:45 UTCEG score recompute
  20. 2026-10-27 05:45 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-98mp-frx2-qv94 · GitHub CVSS 7.0
  21. 2026-10-26 16:27 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 4.7% · 91st percentile
  22. 2026-10-26 07:13 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-98mp-frx2-qv94 · GitHub CVSS 7.0
  23. 2026-10-25 19:02 UTCEG score recompute
  24. 2026-10-25 16:27 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 4.7% · 91st percentile
  25. 2026-10-25 08:43 UTCEG score recompute
Show 75 more
  1. 2026-10-25 08:43 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-98mp-frx2-qv94 · GitHub CVSS 7.0
  2. 2026-10-24 16:28 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 4.7% · 91st percentile
  3. 2026-10-24 10:13 UTCEG score recompute
  4. 2026-10-24 10:13 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-98mp-frx2-qv94 · GitHub CVSS 7.0
  5. 2026-10-23 16:27 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 4.7% · 91st percentile
  6. 2026-10-23 11:43 UTCEG score recompute
  7. 2026-10-23 11:42 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-98mp-frx2-qv94 · GitHub CVSS 7.0
  8. 2026-10-22 16:28 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 4.7% · 91st percentile
  9. 2026-10-22 13:09 UTCEG score recompute
  10. 2026-10-22 13:09 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-98mp-frx2-qv94 · GitHub CVSS 7.0
  11. 2026-10-21 16:27 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 4.7% · 91st percentile
  12. 2026-10-21 14:38 UTCEG score recompute
  13. 2026-10-21 14:38 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-98mp-frx2-qv94 · GitHub CVSS 7.0
  14. 2026-10-20 16:27 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 4.7% · 91st percentile
  15. 2026-10-20 16:08 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-98mp-frx2-qv94 · GitHub CVSS 7.0
  16. 2026-10-19 17:33 UTCEG score recompute
  17. 2026-10-19 17:32 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-98mp-frx2-qv94 · GitHub CVSS 7.0
  18. 2026-10-19 16:27 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 4.7% · 91st percentile
  19. 2026-10-18 19:00 UTCEG score recompute
  20. 2026-10-18 19:00 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-98mp-frx2-qv94 · GitHub CVSS 7.0
  21. 2026-10-18 16:27 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 4.7% · 91st percentile
  22. 2026-10-18 09:49 UTCEG score recompute
  23. 2026-10-17 20:28 UTCEG score recompute
  24. 2026-10-17 20:28 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-98mp-frx2-qv94 · GitHub CVSS 7.0
  25. 2026-10-17 16:28 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 4.7% · 91st percentile
  26. 2026-10-16 21:57 UTCEG score recompute
  27. 2026-10-16 21:57 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-98mp-frx2-qv94 · GitHub CVSS 7.0
  28. 2026-10-16 16:31 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 4.7% · 91st percentile
  29. 2026-10-15 23:26 UTCEG score recompute
  30. 2026-10-15 23:26 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-98mp-frx2-qv94 · GitHub CVSS 7.0
  31. 2026-10-15 16:27 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 4.7% · 91st percentile
  32. 2026-10-15 00:54 UTCEG score recompute
  33. 2026-10-15 00:54 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-98mp-frx2-qv94 · GitHub CVSS 7.0
  34. 2026-10-14 16:28 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 4.7% · 91st percentile
  35. 2026-10-14 02:23 UTCEG score recompute
  36. 2026-10-14 02:22 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-98mp-frx2-qv94 · GitHub CVSS 7.0
  37. 2026-10-13 16:27 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 4.7% · 91st percentile
  38. 2026-10-13 03:50 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-98mp-frx2-qv94 · GitHub CVSS 7.0
  39. 2026-10-12 19:58 UTCEG score recompute
  40. 2026-10-12 16:28 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 4.7% · 91st percentile
  41. 2026-10-12 05:18 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-98mp-frx2-qv94 · GitHub CVSS 7.0
  42. 2026-10-12 01:36 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-98mp-frx2-qv94 · GitHub CVSS 7.0
  43. 2026-10-11 21:57 UTCEG score recompute
  44. 2026-10-11 21:57 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-98mp-frx2-qv94 · GitHub CVSS 7.0
  45. 2026-10-11 18:17 UTCEG score recompute
  46. 2026-10-11 18:17 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-98mp-frx2-qv94 · GitHub CVSS 7.0
  47. 2026-10-11 14:37 UTCEG score recompute
  48. 2026-10-11 14:37 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-98mp-frx2-qv94 · GitHub CVSS 7.0
  49. 2026-10-11 13:42 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 4.7% · 91st percentile
  50. 2026-10-11 10:57 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-98mp-frx2-qv94 · GitHub CVSS 7.0
  51. 2026-10-11 07:17 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-98mp-frx2-qv94 · GitHub CVSS 7.0
  52. 2026-10-11 03:38 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-98mp-frx2-qv94 · GitHub CVSS 7.0
  53. 2026-10-10 23:57 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-98mp-frx2-qv94 · GitHub CVSS 7.0
  54. 2026-10-10 20:16 UTCEG score recompute
  55. 2026-10-10 20:16 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-98mp-frx2-qv94 · GitHub CVSS 7.0
  56. 2026-10-10 19:55 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 4.7% · 91st percentile
  57. 2026-10-10 16:36 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-98mp-frx2-qv94 · GitHub CVSS 7.0
  58. 2026-10-10 12:55 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-98mp-frx2-qv94 · GitHub CVSS 7.0
  59. 2026-10-10 09:15 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-98mp-frx2-qv94 · GitHub CVSS 7.0
  60. 2026-10-10 05:34 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-98mp-frx2-qv94 · GitHub CVSS 7.0
  61. 2026-10-10 01:55 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-98mp-frx2-qv94 · GitHub CVSS 7.0
  62. 2026-10-09 22:16 UTCEG score recompute
  63. 2026-10-09 22:15 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-98mp-frx2-qv94 · GitHub CVSS 7.0
  64. 2026-10-09 20:03 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 4.7% · 91st percentile
  65. 2026-10-09 18:35 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-98mp-frx2-qv94 · GitHub CVSS 7.0
  66. 2026-10-09 14:56 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-98mp-frx2-qv94 · GitHub CVSS 7.0
  67. 2026-10-09 11:15 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-98mp-frx2-qv94 · GitHub CVSS 7.0
  68. 2026-10-09 07:36 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-98mp-frx2-qv94 · GitHub CVSS 7.0
  69. 2026-10-09 03:56 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-98mp-frx2-qv94 · GitHub CVSS 7.0
  70. 2026-10-09 00:15 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-98mp-frx2-qv94 · GitHub CVSS 7.0
  71. 2026-10-08 20:35 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-98mp-frx2-qv94 · GitHub CVSS 7.0
  72. 2026-10-08 16:55 UTCEG score recompute
  73. 2026-10-08 16:55 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-98mp-frx2-qv94 · GitHub CVSS 7.0
  74. 2026-10-08 16:37 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 4.7% · 91st percentile
  75. 2026-10-08 13:15 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-98mp-frx2-qv94 · GitHub CVSS 7.0

Publicly available exploits

(3 references)

Public exploit code is referenced for this CVE (1 Metasploit module, 2 GitHub PoCs). No fix has been recorded since the CVE record was published in 2020. If the vendor still supports the product, apply the fixed version it names; if it no longer does, isolate the affected system.

  • Metasploitpost/windows/gather/credentials/teamviewer_passwords✓ verified
    Published Feb 7, 2020

    Windows Gather TeamViewer Passwords

    Open source ↗
  • GitHub PoCmr-r3b00t/CVE-2019-18988
    Published Jul 13, 2020

    TeamViewer Store Credentials Decryption

    Open source ↗
  • GitHub PoCreversebrain/CVE-2019-18988
    Published Jul 1, 2020
    Open source ↗

Frequently asked(6)

What is CVE-2019-18988?
CVE-2019-18988 is a critical-severity vulnerability; its CVE record was published on February 7, 2020. TeamViewer Desktop through 14.7.1965 allows a bypass of remote-login access control because the same key is used for different customers' installations. It used a shared AES key for all installations since at least as far back as v7.0.43148, and used it for at least OptionsPasswordAES in the…
When was the CVE record for CVE-2019-18988 published?
The CVE record for CVE-2019-18988 was published on February 7, 2020. That is the record's publication date; the vulnerability itself may have been made public earlier. EchelonGraph's copy of the record carries a last-modified date of November 7, 2025; the record at its source may have been updated since.
Is CVE-2019-18988 actively exploited?
Yes. CISA added CVE-2019-18988 to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on November 3, 2021, affecting TeamViewer Desktop. KEV listing indicates confirmed exploitation in the wild; this CVE warrants immediate attention. No fix has been recorded since the CVE record was published in 2020. Check the vendor's advisory for a fixed release; until one is applied, restrict network exposure of the affected system or apply the vendor's mitigation.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2019-18988?
CVE-2019-18988 has a CVSS v3 base score of 7.0 (NVD). EchelonGraph synthesises NVD + CISA KEV + FIRST EPSS + GHSA into a combined EG score of 9.0 (CRITICAL).
Which products are affected by CVE-2019-18988?
CVE-2019-18988 affects TeamViewer Desktop.
How do I remediate CVE-2019-18988?
No fix for CVE-2019-18988 has been recorded since its CVE record was published in 2020. Restrict network exposure of the affected system or apply the vendor's mitigation — for example, keep it off the internet or limit it to trusted networks — and check the vendor's advisory for a fix. The CVE record's description, written by its CNA (MITRE Corporation), states the affected versions: "TeamViewer Desktop through 14.7.1965 allows a bypass of remote-login access control because the same key is used for different customers' installations." No release containing a fix is confirmed on record.

Dependency Blast Radius

Explore the affected products and dependency analysis for CVE-2019-18988

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