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LibxiApplication · X.org

CVE-2013-1984

MEDIUM · 6.8 CVSS v2.0 Published 2013-06-15
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 1.7.1 or later.
See remediation →
77/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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
Multiple integer overflows in X.org libXi 1.7.1 and earlier allow X servers to trigger allocation of insufficient memory and a buffer overflow via vectors related to the (1) XGetDeviceControl, (2) XGetFeedbackControl, (3) XGetDeviceDontPropagateList, (4) XGetDeviceMotionEvents, (5) XIGetProperty, (6) XIGetSelectedEvents, (7) XGetDeviceProperties, and (8) XListInputDevices functions.

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

Multiple integer overflows in libXi's memory allocation functions (XGetDeviceControl, XGetFeedbackControl, XGetDeviceDontPropagateList, XGetDeviceMotionEvents, XIGetProperty, XIGetSelectedEvents, XGetDeviceProperties, and XListInputDevices) allow malicious X servers to trigger allocation of insufficient memory by manipulating input values, leading to buffer overflows when data is written to undersized buffers.

MitigationUpgrade libXi to version 1.7.2 or later which contains patched integer overflow checks. Verify X server functionality after updating.

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
LibxiApplication
Affected:<= 1.7.1= 1.5.0= 1.5.99.2= 1.5.99.3= 1.6.0= 1.6.1= 1.6.2= 1.6.99.1= 1.7

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
M
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Partial
Integrity
Partial
Availability
Partial

AV:N/AC:M/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 checks

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

  1. Identify installed libXi library version
    Run `pkg-config --modversion xi` on Linux/Unix systems, or check the library file with `ls -l /usr/lib/libXi.so*` and inspect version symbols using `objdump -p` or `strings`
    Affected if The version displayed is 1.7 or lower, specifically any of: 1.5.0, 1.5.99.2, 1.5.99.3, 1.6.0, 1.6.1, 1.6.2, 1.6.99.1, 1.7, or 1.7.1 (any version <= 1.7.1)
  2. Check package manager for libXi version
    Use system package manager: `dpkg -l libxi` (Debian/Ubuntu), `rpm -q libXi` (RHEL/CentOS), or `brew list --verbose libxi` (macOS with Homebrew)
    Affected if The reported package version matches any affected version listed above (<= 1.7.1)
  3. Verify X client applications using libXi are present
    Check for X input device dependent applications that may use libXi; look for binaries linked against libXi using `ldd <binary> | grep -i xi` or `objdump -p <binary> | grep -i libxi`
    Affected if Any X client applications are linked against a vulnerable libXi version (this confirms exposure, even if the vulnerable code path is not actively exercised)
  4. Confirm X server connection context
    Determine if the system runs an X server or X clients that connect to remote X servers; check environment variable DISPLAY is set and review X server logs for remote connections
    Affected if The system runs X clients that connect to untrusted or network-accessible X servers, as the vulnerability is triggered by a malicious X server sending crafted responses to client requests

A system is affected if it runs any version of libXi at or below 1.7.1 AND uses X input device functionality through applications that communicate with X servers, particularly in environments where connections to untrusted X servers are possible.

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 1.7.1
Interim mitigation

Upgrade libXi to version 1.7.2 or later which contains patched integer overflow checks. Verify X server functionality after updating.

Fix this in Libxi Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
5.0 hours of engineering $890
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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-2013-1984 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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