CVE-2013-0966
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 · uneditedThe Apple mod_hfs_apple module for the Apache HTTP Server in Apple Mac OS X before 10.8.3 does not properly handle ignorable Unicode characters, which allows remote attackers to bypass intended directory authentication requirements via a crafted pathname in a URI.
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 confidenceThe mod_hfs_apple module in Apache HTTP Server on Mac OS X before 10.8.3 fails to properly handle ignorable Unicode characters in URI pathnames. Attackers can craft URIs containing special Unicode characters that bypass directory authentication controls, allowing unauthorized access to protected resources.
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= 10.6.8= 10.7.0= 10.7.1= 10.7.2= 10.7.3= 10.7.4= 10.7.5= 10.8.0= 10.8.1= 10.8.2= 10.6.8= 10.7.0= 10.7.1= 10.7.2= 10.7.3= 10.7.4= 10.7.5CVSS 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
- None
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/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 the Mac OS X versionRun 'sw_vers -productVersion' in Terminal to obtain the exact OS versionAffected if The version is 10.6.8, 10.7.0 through 10.7.5, or 10.8.0 through 10.8.2 (versions before 10.8.3)
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Verify mod_hfs_apple module is loadedCheck the Apache configuration files (typically in /etc/apache2/) for the line 'LoadModule hfs_apple_module modules/mod_hfs_apple.so' or run 'apachectl -M' to list loaded modulesAffected if The mod_hfs_apple module appears in the loaded modules list
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Confirm Apache is handling protected resourcesReview Apache configuration files for <Directory> blocks with 'Require' directives or .htaccess files with authentication directives (AuthType, Require valid-user, etc.)Affected if Any directory or location is protected with authentication in the Apache configuration
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Check for Unicode character handling in request pathsReview access logs for URIs containing Unicode characters (non-ASCII) in path segments; use 'grep' or log analysis tools to identify such requestsAffected if Unicode characters appear in request paths targeting protected resources
You are affected if you run Mac OS X versions 10.6.8 through 10.8.2 with mod_hfs_apple loaded and have authentication-protected directories configured in Apache.
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 Mac OS X to version 10.8.3 or later, which includes the patched mod_hfs_apple module that properly validates and normalizes Unicode characters in requested paths.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2013-0966 — 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-2013-0966 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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