CVE-2019-19364
Description
A weak malicious user can escalate its privilege whenever CatalystProductionSuite.2019.1.exe (version 1.1.0.21) and CatalystBrowseSuite.2019.1.exe (version 1.1.0.21) installers run. The vulnerability is in the form of DLL Hijacking. The installers try to load DLLs that don’t exist from its current directory; by doing so, an attacker can quickly escalate its privileges.
AI Insight
LLM-synthesized narrative grounded in this CVE's description and references.
DLL hijacking in CatalystProductionSuite.2019.1.exe and CatalystBrowseSuite.2019.1.exe allows privilege escalation.
Vulnerability
CVE-2019-19364 is a DLL hijacking vulnerability in the installers CatalystProductionSuite.2019.1.exe and CatalystBrowseSuite.2019.1.exe, both version 1.1.0.21 [1]. The installers attempt to load several DLLs that do not exist from their current directory, including NETUTILS.dll, MSIMG32.dll, VERSION.dll, WINMM.dll, WININET.dll, WTSAPI32.dll, MSVFW32.dll, WINMMBASE.dll, winnlsres.dll, and RichEd20 [1]. This allows an attacker with weak privileges to escalate by placing a malicious DLL in the same directory as the installer.
Exploitation
An attacker with low privileges on a Windows system can execute the installer while having write access to its directory. The attacker first drops a malicious DLL (e.g., NETUTILS.dll) into the same folder as the installer. When the installer runs, it will load the attacker's DLL instead of the legitimate one, executing arbitrary code with the privileges of the installer (typically SYSTEM). No user interaction beyond initiating the installer is required [1].
Impact
Successful exploitation allows the attacker to achieve privilege escalation from a weak user to SYSTEM level, gaining full control over the affected system. The impact is a complete compromise of confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the host [1].
Mitigation
As of the publication date, no official patch or fixed version has been released by Sony Creative. The installers are likely targeted by older versions; users should remove these installers if not needed. Ensure that installers are run from trusted directories with restricted write permissions to prevent DLL planting [1].
AI Insight generated on May 26, 2026. Synthesized from this CVE's description and the cited reference URLs; citations are validated against the source bundle.
Affected products
3- CatalystProductionSuite/CatalystProductionSuitedescription
- Range: = 1.1.0.21
- Range: = 1.1.0.21
Patches
0No patches discovered yet.
Vulnerability mechanics
Root cause
"The installers attempt to load DLLs (notably NETUTILS.dll) from the current working directory without using a safe search order, enabling DLL hijacking."
Attack vector
An attacker with low-privileged access to a Windows 10 system places a malicious DLL (e.g., NETUTILS.dll) in the same directory where the installer will be executed [ref_id=1]. When the installer runs, it loads the attacker's DLL from the current directory instead of a system path, causing the malicious code to execute with the installer's elevated privileges [ref_id=1]. The attack requires the ability to write to the installer's working directory before the installer is launched.
Affected code
The installers CatalystProductionSuite.2019.1.exe (version 1.1.0.21) and CatalystBrowseSuite.2019.1.exe (version 1.1.0.21) attempt to load DLLs from their current working directory instead of using a safe search path [ref_id=1]. The primary hijackable DLL is "NETUTILS.dll", and the advisory lists 15 additional missing DLLs including MSIMG32.dll, VERSION.dll, WINMM.dll, and others that could also be hijacked [ref_id=1].
What the fix does
The advisory recommends that the vendor should not load DLLs from the current directory [ref_id=1]. No official patch or updated installer is described in the available references. The remediation would involve modifying the installer to use absolute paths or safe DLL search order (e.g., calling SetDllDirectory("") or using LOAD_LIBRARY_SEARCH_SYSTEM32 flags) to prevent loading untrusted DLLs from the current working directory.
Preconditions
- inputAttacker must be able to write a malicious DLL into the current working directory from which the installer will be launched
- configThe installer must be run from a directory writable by the attacker (e.g., a shared or user-writable location)
- authThe installer must be executed with elevated privileges (e.g., via UAC or by an administrator)
Reproduction
1. Create a malicious DLL (e.g., NETUTILS.dll) that proxies to the original OS DLL while executing attacker code. 2. Place the malicious DLL in the same directory as CatalystProductionSuite.2019.1.exe or CatalystBrowseSuite.2019.1.exe. 3. Run the installer; it will load the attacker's DLL from the current directory, executing arbitrary code with the installer's privileges [ref_id=1].
Generated on May 25, 2026. Inputs: CWE entries + fix-commit diffs from this CVE's patches. Citations validated against bundle.
References
1- gist.github.com/Eli-Paz/482b514320009f3e76ea712cde3bc350mitrex_refsource_MISC
News mentions
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