CVE-2019-5442: XML Entity Expansion (Billion Laughs Attack) on Pippo 1.12.0 results in Denial of Service.Entities are created

This week

HIGH 7.5REMOTEDOWNGRADE

CVE-2019-5442 is a high-severity flaw (CVSS 7.5) affecting pippo. Below: why it ranks where it does, which versions are affected, what to do, and the exact commands.

XML Entity Expansion (Billion Laughs Attack) on Pippo 1.12.0 results in Denial of Service.Entities are created recursively and large amounts of heap memory is taken. Eventually, the JVM process will run out of memory. Otherwise, if the OS does not bound the memory on that process, memory will continue to be exhausted and will affect other processes on the system.

Why this priority

High severity
Public exploit reference
Remotely exploitable, no login, no user action

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

Risk facts

CVSS score	7.5 (High)
Attack vector	Network (remote)
Attack complexity	Low
Privileges needed	None
User interaction	None
EPSS exploit chance	1.4% (top 27%)
CISA exploited list	No
Weakness	CWE-776
Published	2019-06-12
Last modified	2026-06-17

Publisher (CNA): HackerOne · Vendor: pippo

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

Am I affected?

Timeline

2019-06-12 16:29 UTCPublished CVE record published
2026-06-17 02:37 UTCUpdated Record last modified

pippo pippo DOWNGRADE

Affected: 1.12.0

Fixed in: no fixed release known

Safe to downgrade to: a release before 1.12.0

1. Check installed version

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

2. No fixed release: DOWNGRADE to a release before 1.12.0 (Debian / Ubuntu)

apt-cache madison pippo sudo apt install pippo=<VERSION_BEFORE_1.12.0> sudo apt-mark hold pippo

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

dnf --showduplicates list pippo sudo dnf downgrade pippo-<VERSION_BEFORE_1.12.0> sudo dnf versionlock add pippo

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-2019-5442?

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

Is CVE-2019-5442 being exploited?

CVE-2019-5442 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-2019-5442 affect?

CVE-2019-5442 affects pippo. Severity is high (CVSS 7.5). XML Entity Expansion (Billion Laughs Attack) on Pippo 1.12.0 results in Denial of Service.Entities are created recursively and large amounts of heap memory is taken. Eventually, the JVM process will run out of memory. Otherwise, if the OS d

How urgent is CVE-2019-5442?

Priority 55/100. High severity; Public exploit reference; Remotely exploitable, no login, no user action

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References

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