# CVE-2019-18394: Openfire - SSRF

> Live exploitation tracking for CVE-2019-18394 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-2019-18394

## 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:** Ignite Realtime Openfire
- **Weaknesses:** CWE-918 (Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF))
- **Tags:** enterprise_software

## Description

A Server Side Request Forgery (SSRF) vulnerability in FaviconServlet.java in Ignite Realtime Openfire through 4.4.2 allows attackers to send arbitrary HTTP GET requests.

## CrowdSec analysis

[CVE-2019-18394](https://euvd.enisa.europa.eu/vulnerability/CVE-2019-18394) is a critical Server Side Request Forgery (SSRF) vulnerability in Ignite Realtime Openfire up to version 4.4.2, specifically within FaviconServlet.java. This flaw allows remote attackers to send arbitrary HTTP GET requests from the server, potentially enabling them to access internal resources, exfiltrate sensitive data, or pivot further attacks within the network.

CrowdSec has been tracking this vulnerability and its exploits since 21st of January 2026.

Data from the CrowdSec community indicates that exploitation of CVE-2019-18394 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.
Data from the CrowdSec community also indicates a gradual decrease in attacks targeting CVE-2019-18394. While still present in the wild, exploitation levels have dropped noticeably week-over-week. This may signal that the vulnerability is becoming less relevant or that defenses are improving fast enough for attackers to lose interest.

Attackers exploit this vulnerability by sending requests to URLs containing `/getFavicon` with a crafted `host` parameter, enabling server-side request forgery to arbitrary internal or external resources.

## Timeline

- 2019-10-24: CVE Published. CVE-2019-18394 is published to NVD.
- 2026-01-21: Rule Released. CrowdSec releases a rule to detect CVE-2019-18394 exploitation attempts against the CrowdSec Network.
- 2026-02-04: CrowdSec First Seen. CrowdSec observes in-the-wild exploitation of CVE-2019-18394 for the first time.

## References

- https://github.com/igniterealtime/Openfire/pull/1497
- https://swarm.ptsecurity.com/openfire-admin-console/
- https://github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei-templates/blob/main/http/cves/2019/CVE-2019-18394.yaml

## Live exploitation data

The [Live Exploit Tracker page](https://tracker.crowdsec.net/cves/CVE-2019-18394) follows observed exploitation activity for CVE-2019-18394. [Request an API key](https://tracker.crowdsec.net/request-api-key) for full access to its exploitation timeline, attacking IP addresses and blocklists.