Threats / Nostromo / CVE-2019-16278
CVE-2019-16278
· EUVD no mirror located
· GCVE no mirror located
Verified 2026-06-22
Nostromo nhttpd vulnerability
Nostromo nhttpd contains a directory traversal vulnerability in http_verify() that allows remote code execution on non-chrooted servers.
Verdict
Today item — known-exploited.
A directory traversal flaw in Nostromo nhttpd enables unauthenticated attackers to access files outside the intended web root and execute arbitrary code. The vulnerability is actively exploited in the wild with high exploit probability.
01
Is it exploitable?
— the evidence, ranked above the scoreExploit available
Fully weaponized — public exploit code is cataloged for this vulnerability.We link the existence of the exploit; we do not host or redistribute payloads.
Reported exploitation
777 independent public reports of in-the-wild exploitation are cataloged.Distinct reporting sources (vendor, incident response, government); open them for the underlying claims.
Exploited in the wild
Listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog (added 2024-11-07).
Probability (EPSS)
EPSS 0.99057 — modeled likelihood of exploitation activity.EPSS is a daily-changing model output — open the source for today's value.
Severity / affected
Affected: Nostromo, nhttpd. Confirm exact fixed builds in the vendor advisory.
Weakness (CWE)
Mapped to CWE-22 Path Traversal — weakness family: Path traversal / file.CWE assignment from the public NVD record; the weakness class drives how the flaw is exploited.
02
Who’s exploiting it?
— attribution turns risk into urgencyAttribution not established
No confirmed (advisory-backed) threat-actor attribution is established for this record. Absence of a named actor is not absence of compromise — see Coverage & confidence.
03
Why it matters
— the attack path, told twice: adversary, then board1
Front door — unauthenticated access narrative 1
Attacker
I craft HTTP requests with path traversal sequences to bypass directory restrictions in the http_verify() function.
Business
Attackers gain unauthorized file system access to sensitive configuration and application files.
2
Keys to the kingdom — privilege/identity takeover narrative 2
Attacker
I read or modify files outside the web root, including executable scripts or system binaries.
Business
Confidentiality and integrity of hosted content and server configuration are compromised.
3
Lateral reach — past segmentation narrative 3
Attacker
I upload or execute arbitrary code through the traversal vulnerability on the non-chrooted server.
Business
Complete server compromise enables data theft, malware deployment, and lateral movement within the network.
04
What to do
— defensible action- Remediate per the vendor advisory — confirm the fixed build for your version and verify exposure.1
Say it to the boardA vulnerability with this evidence profile is a defensible budget line, not a backlog ticket — fund the change against the proof above.
05