CVE-2019-12278: Opera through 53 on Android allows Address Bar Spoofing

Routine

MEDIUM 4.3DOWNGRADE

CVE-2019-12278 is a medium-severity flaw (CVSS 4.3) affecting opera. Below: why it ranks where it does, which versions are affected, what to do, and the exact commands.

Opera through 53 on Android allows Address Bar Spoofing. Characters from several languages are displayed in Right-to-Left order, due to mishandling of several Unicode characters. The rendering mechanism, in conjunction with the "first strong character" concept, may improperly operate on a numerical IP address or an alphabetic string, leading to a spoofed URL.

Why this priority

Public exploit reference

No fix is published yet: follow the downgrade or mitigation steps.

Risk facts

CVSS score	4.3 (Medium)
Attack vector	Network (remote)
Attack complexity	Low
Privileges needed	None
User interaction	Required
EPSS exploit chance	0.8% (top 43%)
CISA exploited list	No
Published	2020-03-12
Last modified	2026-06-17

Publisher (CNA): MITRE · Vendor: opera

Last updated 2026-06-17 · Sources: CVE Program, NVD, CISA KEV, EPSS and vendor advisories · How we score

Am I affected?

Timeline

2020-03-12 22:15 UTCPublished CVE record published
2026-06-17 02:14 UTCUpdated Record last modified

opera opera DOWNGRADE

Affected: 52.1.2517.139570

Fixed in: no fixed release known

Safe to downgrade to: a release before 52.1.2517.139570

1. Check installed version

apt-cache policy opera || rpm -q opera || opera --version

2. No fixed release: DOWNGRADE to a release before 52.1.2517.139570 (Debian / Ubuntu)

apt-cache madison opera sudo apt install opera=<VERSION_BEFORE_52.1.2517.139570> sudo apt-mark hold opera

2. No fixed release: DOWNGRADE (RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora)

dnf --showduplicates list opera sudo dnf downgrade opera-<VERSION_BEFORE_52.1.2517.139570> sudo dnf versionlock add opera

Downgrade risk

Downgrading can break dependent software and may reopen older bugs. Read the distro advisory first and test on a non-production host.

After downgrade

Restart the service, and keep the package held until a fixed release ships.

Verify at the official source NVD · CVE Program · Report a problem with this page
Scores and fixes here are computed automatically from those and other public sources. Confirm with the vendor advisory before changing production systems.

Quick answers

How do I fix CVE-2019-12278?

opera: downgrade or apply the listed mitigation. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.

Is CVE-2019-12278 being exploited?

CVE-2019-12278 is not on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list at the time of the last update. Check again, as this can change.

What does CVE-2019-12278 affect?

CVE-2019-12278 affects opera. Severity is medium (CVSS 4.3). Opera through 53 on Android allows Address Bar Spoofing. Characters from several languages are displayed in Right-to-Left order, due to mishandling of several Unicode characters. The rendering mechanism, in conjunction with the "first stron

How urgent is CVE-2019-12278?

Priority 34/100. Public exploit reference

Software pages

Android vulnerabilities

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References

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