# CVE-2019-12987: Citrix SD-WAN - RCE

> Live exploitation tracking for CVE-2019-12987 by the CrowdSec Live Exploit Tracker, built from real-world attack data crowdsourced from CrowdSec's global network.

Page: https://tracker.crowdsec.net/cves/CVE-2019-12987

## Key facts

- **Exploitation phase:** Limited Exploitation. The vulnerability is known but shows very limited attacker interest or exploitation activity.
- **CVSS score:** 9.8
- **Public exploit available:** Yes
- **Affected products:** Citrix SD-WAN
- **Weaknesses:** CWE-78 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection'))
- **Tags:** enterprise_software

## Description

Citrix SD-WAN 10.2.x before 10.2.3 and NetScaler SD-WAN 10.0.x before 10.0.8 have Improper Input Validation (issue 3 of 6).

## CrowdSec analysis

[CVE-2019-12987](https://euvd.enisa.europa.eu/vulnerability/CVE-2019-12987) is a critical vulnerability in Citrix SD-WAN and NetScaler SD-WAN versions prior to 10.2.3 and 10.0.8, respectively, due to improper input validation. This flaw could allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code without authentication, potentially leading to full system compromise and exposure of sensitive data.

CrowdSec has been tracking this vulnerability and its exploits since 8th of April 2026.

Data from the CrowdSec community indicates that exploitation of CVE-2019-12987 is highly selective and intelligence-driven. Threat actors use advanced reconnaissance and carefully choose their targets, often as part of sophisticated campaigns or advanced persistent threat operations.
CrowdSec network telemetry also shows that exploitation of CVE-2019-12987 has significantly declined over the past week. Attack volumes are well below the long-term average, suggesting attackers are rapidly losing interest. The vulnerability appears to be falling out of active use across most threat landscapes.

Attackers exploit the `/Collector/storagemgmt/apply` endpoint by injecting OS commands into parameters such as `data[0][host]`, often using backticks or other shell metacharacters to achieve remote command execution on Citrix SD-WAN Center systems.

## Timeline

- 2019-07-16: CVE Published. CVE-2019-12987 is published to NVD.
- 2026-04-08: Rule Released. CrowdSec releases a rule to detect CVE-2019-12987 exploitation attempts against the CrowdSec Network.
- 2026-04-08: CrowdSec First Seen. CrowdSec observes in-the-wild exploitation of CVE-2019-12987 for the first time.

## References

- https://www.tenable.com/security/research/tra-2019-31
- https://support.citrix.com/article/CTX251987
- http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/109133
- https://github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei-templates/blob/main/http/cves/2019/CVE-2019-12987.yaml

## Live exploitation data

The [Live Exploit Tracker page](https://tracker.crowdsec.net/cves/CVE-2019-12987) follows observed exploitation activity for CVE-2019-12987. [Request an API key](https://tracker.crowdsec.net/request-api-key) for full access to its exploitation timeline, attacking IP addresses and blocklists.