CVE-2013-0171
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 · uneditedForeman before 1.1 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted YAML object to the (1) fact or (2) report import API.
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 · moderate confidenceForeman before version 1.1 contains a YAML deserialization vulnerability in its fact and report import API endpoints. Attackers can send specially crafted YAML objects that, when deserialized by the application, allow arbitrary code execution on the target system. This is a remote, network-exploitable vulnerability requiring no authentication based on the CVSS vector.
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<= 1.0CVSS 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
- Partial
- Integrity
- Partial
- Availability
- Partial
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P
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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Identify the installed Foreman versionExecute 'foreman --version' from the command line, or access the Foreman web interface and navigate to About > Version, or query the RPM/DEB package manager for the foreman package versionAffected if The installed version is 1.0 or any earlier release (any version numbered 1.0 or below)
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Confirm the fact import API is network-accessibleVerify network accessibility of the fact import API endpoint (typically /api/facts) on the Foreman web server port (default 443 or 3000) from untrusted network segmentsAffected if The fact import API endpoint is exposed to network traffic without requiring authentication
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Confirm the report import API is network-accessibleVerify network accessibility of the report import API endpoint (typically /api/reports) on the Foreman web server port (default 443 or 3000) from untrusted network segmentsAffected if The report import API endpoint is exposed to network traffic without requiring authentication
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Verify YAML deserialization is enabled for importsReview Foreman configuration files for YAML fact and report parser settings, typically located in /etc/foreman or /etc/theforeman directory, confirming the YAML import functionality is not disabledAffected if YAML deserialization for fact or report imports remains enabled (default behavior in affected versions)
The environment is affected if Foreman version is 1.0 or earlier AND either the fact or report import API endpoint is accessible from the network without authentication
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.
From vendor dataUpgrade Foreman to version 1.1 or later to obtain the patched YAML parser. If immediate upgrading is not feasible, restrict network access to the fact and report import API endpoints using firewall rules or API authentication mechanisms.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2013-0171 — 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-2013-0171 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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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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