How severe is CVE-2019-15599?

No CVSS score has been assigned to CVE-2019-15599 yet. Review the advisory details and affected package list to assess your exposure.

Which packages are affected by CVE-2019-15599?

CVE-2019-15599 affects the following packages: tree-kill (npm). Ecosystems affected: npm.

How do I fix CVE-2019-15599?

Update tree-kill to 1.2.2 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2019-15599 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.

How do I detect CVE-2019-15599 in my npm dependencies?

Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for tree-kill, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.

How do I mitigate CVE-2019-15599 if there is no patch (or I can't update yet)?

Stop passing untrusted input into the interpreter or shell: call the affected binary with an argument array rather than a composed command string, reject anything outside a strict allowlist of expected values, and run the component under an account that cannot reach beyond the work it legitimately does.

Is CVE-2019-15599 actively exploited in the wild?

Yes. There are 1 known exploit references for CVE-2019-15599, including 1 in-the-wild exploitation observed on GitHub and other sources. Treat this as actively exploitable and prioritize patching immediately. All exploit code should only be run in an isolated sandbox environment for research or authorized testing — never against production systems without explicit written authorization.

What is the EPSS score for CVE-2019-15599?

CVE-2019-15599 has an EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) score of 2.7%, placing it in the 86th percentile of all CVEs. EPSS is maintained by FIRST.org and estimates the probability that a vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. This score indicates relatively lower exploitation probability, though the CVSS severity should still guide your patching priority.

What type of vulnerability is CVE-2019-15599?

CVE-2019-15599 is classified as Code Injection (CWE-94). This weakness type describe the underlying flaw category, which helps determine the potential impact and the right class of mitigation. This is a high-impact weakness class that often enables remote code execution or data exposure.

When was CVE-2019-15599 published, and has it been updated?

CVE-2019-15599 was published on September 4, 2020 and was last updated on November 8, 2023. Advisory data evolves as severity scores, affected ranges, and exploit intelligence are revised — always check the latest version of the advisory before acting.

📦 npm

Not in CISA KEV

CVE-2019-15599 — tree-kill

Fix: pkrumins/node-tree-kill@deee138

CVE-2019-15599 is a Code Injection vulnerability in tree-kill. 1 public exploit reference exists, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for tree-kill — see the affected versions and patch details below.

Command Injection in tree-kill

Published

Sep 4, 2020

Updated

Nov 8, 2023

Affected

1 pkg

Patched

1 / 1

Exploits

1 known

Exploitation data as of Sep 30, 2026 · OSV.dev, NVD, FIRST.org (EPSS)

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗

2.7%probability of exploitation in next 30 days

Lower Risk0.00%

Lower risk than most CVEs86th percentile — riskier than 86% of all scored CVEsHighest risk

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.

Real-World Exposure

1 pkg affected

How broadly this vulnerability is actually deployed: weekly install volume shows current usage, and reverse-dependency count shows how many other packages break if it stays unpatched.

2Kother npm packages depend on this — each one inherits the vulnerability until it's patched upstream

tree-killnpm

59.4Mdownloads / week

Description

Versions of tree-kill prior to 1.2.2 are vulnerable to Command Injection. The package fails to sanitize values passed to the kill function. If this value is user-controlled it may allow attackers to run arbitrary commands in the server. The issue only affects Windows systems.

Recommendation

Upgrade to version 1.2.2 or later.

Affected Packages

1 total 1 fixed

Ecosystem	Package	Vulnerable range	Fix
📦npm	`tree-kill`	all versions	1.2.2`npm install tree-kill@1.2.2`

Affected Products

1 product · 1 configurations

Application

tree-killtree-kill_project

1 version

1.2.1

Exploits & PoCs

Research use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.

A Code Injection exists in tree-kill on Windows which allows a remote co…

hackerone.comNVDDec 2019

Detection & mitigation playbook

Open-source dependency

Detect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for tree-kill, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update tree-kill to 1.2.2 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2019-15599 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
Stop passing untrusted input into the interpreter or shell: call the affected binary with an argument array rather than a composed command string, reject anything outside a strict allowlist of expected values, and run the component under an account that cannot reach beyond the work it legitimately does.

Frequently Asked Questions

Versions of `tree-kill` prior to 1.2.2 are vulnerable to Command Injection. The package fails to sanitize values passed to the `kill` function. If this value is user-controlled it may allow attackers to run arbitrary commands in the server. The issue only affects Windows systems. ## Recommendation Upgrade to version 1.2.2 or later.

O3 Security · Impact-Aware SCA

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