Advanced Package ToolApplication · Debian
CVE-2009-1300
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedapt 0.7.20 does not check when the date command returns an "invalid date" error, which can prevent apt from loading security updates in time zones for which DST occurs at midnight.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceapt version 0.7.20 contains a flaw where it does not properly check for 'invalid date' errors returned by the system date command. In timezones where DST transitions occur at midnight, the date command can return an invalid date error, but apt fails to handle this condition, causing it to miss loading critical security updates.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data
Advanced Package ToolApplication
= 0.7.20CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- Complete
- Integrity
- Complete
- Availability
- Complete
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check installed apt versionRun 'dpkg -l apt' or 'apt-cache policy apt' to retrieve the installed version numberAffected if The version displayed is exactly 0.7.20
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Verify system timezone configurationCheck /etc/timezone file or run 'timedatectl' to see the configured timezoneAffected if The system timezone is one where DST transitions occur at midnight (this is a rare condition affecting specific historical or unusual timezone configurations)
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Test date command behavior in current timezoneRun the 'date' command and observe its output. In affected timezones during DST transition periods, it may return an invalid date errorAffected if The date command returns an error indicating an invalid date, particularly around DST transition periods
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Run apt-get update and check for date-related errorsExecute 'apt-get update' and examine any error messages for references to date command failures or invalid date warningsAffected if apt-get update fails or shows warnings related to date command errors or invalid date handling
You are affected only if apt version is exactly 0.7.20 AND your system is in a timezone where the date command produces invalid date errors during DST transitions at midnight.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
dbcve · scopedUpgrade to a patched version of apt that properly handles and checks for invalid date errors from the system date command, or configure systems to avoid the timezone condition that triggers the date command error.
Upgrade to the latest stable APT version available in your distribution's repositories (versions after 0.7.20 include the fix)
- Update your package lists: apt-get update
- Upgrade APT to the latest version: apt-get install apt
- Verify the version installed: apt-get -v
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in Advanced Package Tool
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,096.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2009-1300 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2009-1300 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.
- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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