CVE-2013-2005
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 · uneditedX.org libXt 1.1.3 and earlier does not check the return value of the XGetWindowProperty function, which allows X servers to trigger use of an uninitialized pointer and memory corruption via vectors related to the (1) ReqCleanup, (2) HandleSelectionEvents, (3) ReqTimedOut, (4) HandleNormal, and (5) HandleSelectionReplies 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 · moderate confidenceX.org libXt 1.1.3 and earlier fails to check the return value of XGetWindowProperty, leading to use of uninitialized pointers and memory corruption in five specific functions that handle X window events and selections.
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<= 1.1.3= 1.0.3= 1.0.4= 1.0.5= 1.0.6= 1.0.7= 1.0.8= 1.0.9= 1.1.1= 1.1.2CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
-
Identify installed libXt versionRun 'dpkg -l libxtst6' or 'rpm -q libXt' or check /usr/lib/libXt.so version using 'ldd --version' or inspect the library file directlyAffected if Version is 1.1.3 or earlier, or matches 1.0.3 through 1.1.2 (any version listed in affected products)
-
Verify X server is runningCheck for running X process with 'ps aux | grep Xorg' or check display with 'echo $DISPLAY'Affected if X server is active and applications use X window properties, since the vulnerable XGetWindowProperty calls occur during X event handling
-
Confirm libXt is linked by X client applicationsUse 'ldd <application_binary>' to list linked libraries and verify libXt.so is loadedAffected if Applications linking against libXt are in use, particularly those handling X selections or window properties
-
Audit applications using X selections or window propertiesReview application functionality for use of XGetWindowProperty, XSelectInput, or X clipboard/selection APIs - check source code if available or monitor with 'strace' for XGetWindowProperty callsAffected if Applications actively query X window properties or handle selections, which triggers the five vulnerable functions in libXt
Environment is affected if libXt version is 1.1.3 or earlier (including 1.0.x through 1.1.2) AND X window applications using property/selection features are running.
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 libXt to a version newer than 1.1.3 that includes proper XGetWindowProperty return value validation, or apply vendor patches that add error checking before using the returned property data.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation12.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $7,040.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2013-2005 — 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-2013-2005 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
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.
- 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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data