When you’re browsing vulnerability databases looking for recent CVEs, you might stumble upon some with an unusual status: Rejected or Withdrawn. Today, let's talk about CVE-2019-3309, a CVE that’s been officially withdrawn and why these situations happen. This is a simple, exclusive look at a rejected CVE for anyone curious about cybersecurity happenings.

What Is CVE-2019-3309?

When organizations discover a security problem, they can request a unique identifier, known as a CVE ID (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures). It helps security experts and users talk about the same issue using a consistent name.

CVE-2019-3309 is one such entry. But if you look at its pages on well-known databases, you'll notice something interesting: It has been marked as Rejected.

- NVD Entry for CVE-2019-3309
- CVE MITRE Record for CVE-2019-3309

The short description everywhere you check is

> “REJECTED — This CVE ID has been rejected or withdrawn by its CVE Numbering Authority (CNA) because it is mistakenly published by the other party.”

There are several reasons a CVE might be withdrawn

- Mistaken assignment: The CVE was given to a problem that wasn’t really a security vulnerability.
- Duplicate: Sometimes, the same issue is accidentally reported more than once. One of them is then withdrawn.

Reporting Errors: The original report may have mistakes, or the issue didn’t even exist.

For CVE-2019-3309, it's the first reason: it was mistakenly published by another party.

What Can We Learn from a Withdrawn CVE?

While there’s no exploit, sample code, or patch for a rejected CVE like this, it's still valuable for a few reasons:

- Understanding the process: Not every CVE is valid. Many get flagged or cleared up if the problem turns out to be a false alarm.
- Not all reports mean danger: If you see a CVE in your vulnerability scanner with the status “REJECTED,” you likely don’t have to worry about it.
- The system works: Withdrawn CVEs show the industry cares about accuracy and keeping records clean.

Here’s a typical snippet from the MITRE CVE database for a withdrawn record

CVE-2019-3309
Status: REJECTED

Reason: This CVE ID has been rejected or withdrawn by its CVE Numbering Authority (CNA) because it is mistakenly published by the other party.

This simple template is used for most withdrawn CVEs. No more details, no affected version, and no remediation—just a clear withdrawal notice.

If you find CVE-2019-3309 in your scan results

# Example of a vulnerability list
CVE_ID         | Status     | Component   | Description
---------------|------------|-------------|-------------------
CVE-2019-3309  | REJECTED   | [unknown]   | Mistakenly published.

You can always check the official sources

- CVE MITRE Search
- NIST NVD
- Red Hat CVE Database

Search for the CVE ID. If you see “REJECTED,” the CVE does not require action.

Final Thoughts

CVE-2019-3309 is a textbook example of how the vulnerability reporting system can catch its own mistakes. Even though there are no exploits, patches, or affected programs, its story is important: not every CVE you see is a real-world danger. Stay vigilant, check CVE statuses, and don’t let rejected IDs cause unnecessary concern!

References and Further Reading

- Official CVE Record: CVE-2019-3309 (REJECTED)
- National Vulnerability Database - CVE-2019-3309
- How the CVE Numbering Authority (CNA) Works

If you’re ever unsure about a CVE, always check its status—because sometimes, like CVE-2019-3309, there’s simply nothing to worry about.

Timeline

Published on: 01/16/2025 23:15:07 UTC