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LibupnpApplication · Libupnp Project

CVE-2012-5961

HIGH · 10.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2013-01-31
Patch available
A vendor patch is available. No clean upgrade release — apply the published patch.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Public exploit Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click Patch available

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 · unedited
Stack-based buffer overflow in the unique_service_name function in ssdp/ssdp_server.c in the SSDP parser in the portable SDK for UPnP Devices (aka libupnp, formerly the Intel SDK for UPnP devices) 1.3.1 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a long UDN (aka device) field in a UDP packet.

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 confidence

A stack-based buffer overflow exists in the unique_service_name function within ssdp/ssdp_server.c of the libupnp 1.3.1 SSDP parser. The vulnerability occurs when processing UDP packets containing an overly long UDN (device) field, which is copied into a fixed-size stack buffer without proper bounds checking, enabling remote arbitrary code execution.

MitigationUpgrade libupnp to a patched version (1.3.1a or later). If immediate patching is not feasible, restrict or block external access to UDP port 1900 (SSDP) at the network perimeter.

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
LibupnpApplication
Affected:= 1.3.1

CVSS 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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify installed libupnp version
    Run 'pkg-config --modversion libupnp' or check the library file version with 'dpkg -l libupnp' (Debian) or 'rpm -q libupnp' (RHEL). If using embedded devices, consult device firmware documentation or banner-grab the SSDP service on port 1900.
    Affected if The version is exactly 1.3.1 (unpatched)
  2. Confirm SSDP server component is loaded
    Inspect the application or service using libupnp. Look for processes that link against libupnp with 'ldd <process>' or check if the binary references ssdp_server.c functionality. For embedded devices, review the firmware components listing.
    Affected if The application links against the vulnerable libupnp library and utilizes the SSDP parsing functionality
  3. Verify UDP port 1900 is accessible
    Run 'netstat -anu | grep 1900' or 'ssdp -uan | grep 1900' to check if the SSDP multicast port is listening. For remote checks, use 'nmap -sU -p 1900 <target>' to probe UDP 1900.
    Affected if UDP port 1900 is open and accepting SSDP packets from untrusted networks
  4. Inspect SSDP response for UDN field length
    Send an SSDP M-SEARCH request (e.g., using 'nc -u <target> 1900' with SSDP discovery payload) and examine the Location or USN headers for unusually long UDN values. A vulnerable server may reflect or accept arbitrarily long UDN strings.
    Affected if The service returns or processes UDN values that exceed typical lengths without truncation

A user is affected if they run libupnp version 1.3.1 with the SSDP server enabled and UDP port 1900 exposed to untrusted network input.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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.

From vendor data
Patch available Apply the vendor patch
Vendor patch www.kb.cert.org →
Interim mitigation

Upgrade libupnp to a patched version (1.3.1a or later). If immediate patching is not feasible, restrict or block external access to UDP port 1900 (SSDP) at the network perimeter.

Fix this in Libupnp Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,380
Get the patch applied

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,808.

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2012-5961 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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