CVE-2013-0252
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 · uneditedboost::locale::utf::utf_traits in the Boost.Locale library in Boost 1.48 through 1.52 does not properly detect certain invalid UTF-8 sequences, which might allow remote attackers to bypass input validation protection mechanisms via crafted trailing bytes.
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 confidenceThe boost::locale::utf::utf_traits component in Boost.Locale library versions 1.48 through 1.52 fails to properly validate certain invalid UTF-8 sequences, specifically crafted trailing bytes. This flaw can allow malicious input to bypass input validation mechanisms that rely on this UTF-8 detection.
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= 1.48.0= 1.49.0= 1.50.0= 1.51.0= 1.52.0CVSS 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
- None
- Integrity
- Partial
- Availability
- None
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:P/A:N
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 installed Boost library versionCheck the Boost version header: locate and examine /usr/include/boost/version.hpp (or equivalent path) for the BOOST_VERSION macro value. Alternatively, run `dpkg -l | grep libboost` (Debian) or `rpm -qa | grep boost` (RHEL) to list installed Boost packages.Affected if The Boost version is 1.48.0, 1.49.0, 1.50.0, 1.51.0, or 1.52.0.
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Confirm boost::locale usage in the applicationSearch application source code for includes of <boost/locale.hpp> or <boost/locale/utf.hpp>, and examine linked libraries to verify boost_locale is linked.Affected if The application or its dependencies use the Boost.Locale library from these Boost versions.
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Locate code using boost::locale::utf::utf_traitsSearch source code for patterns such as `boost::locale::utf::utf_traits`, `boost::locale::utf::utf8_to_utf32`, or other boost::locale::utf namespace usages.Affected if The codebase directly uses boost::locale::utf classes for UTF-8 validation or processing.
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Identify UTF-8 input validation pathsReview input handling code to determine if boost::locale::utf functionality is used to validate incoming UTF-8 strings before processing.Affected if The application relies on boost::locale::utf for validating untrusted UTF-8 input.
You are affected if your environment uses Boost versions 1.48-1.52 and relies on boost::locale::utf::utf_traits for UTF-8 input validation.
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 Boost libraries to version 1.53 or later which contains the patched utf_traits implementation, or implement additional UTF-8 validation layers before processing user input.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2013-0252 — 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-2013-0252 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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