CVE-2013-2116
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 _gnutls_ciphertext2compressed function in lib/gnutls_cipher.c in GnuTLS 2.12.23 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (buffer over-read and crash) via a crafted padding length. NOTE: this might be due to an incorrect fix for CVE-2013-0169.
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 confidenceGnuTLS 2.12.23 contains a buffer over-read vulnerability in the _gnutls_ciphertext2compressed function in lib/gnutls_cipher.c. The flaw allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) via specially crafted padding lengths during TLS decryption. The issue may stem from an incorrect fix for the earlier CVE-2013-0169 vulnerability.
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= 2.12.23CVSS 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
- None
- Availability
- Partial
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:N/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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Check installed GnuTLS versionRun 'gnutls-cli --version' or 'gnutls-config --version' to retrieve the GnuTLS library version installed on the systemAffected if The reported version is exactly 2.12.23
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Inspect GnuTLS library fileLocate the GnuTLS shared library (typically /usr/lib/libgnutls.so.* or /lib/libgnutls-*.so) and check its versioned filename or sonameAffected if The library file version resolves to 2.12.23
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Identify applications linked to GnuTLSRun 'ldconfig -p | grep gnutls' to list programs dynamically linked against GnuTLS, or use 'ldd <executable>' on specific applications to check their GnuTLS dependencyAffected if Any application using GnuTLS 2.12.23 for TLS connections is potentially affected
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Confirm TLS decryption is activeReview the configuration of GnuTLS-dependent services (web servers, mail servers, VPN daemons, etc.) to verify TLS/SSL connections are enabledAffected if Services using GnuTLS for TLS handshakes and decryption are running with the vulnerable version
Environment is affected if GnuTLS version 2.12.23 is installed AND applications are using it to process TLS connections, allowing specially crafted padding during decryption to trigger the buffer over-read.
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 GnuTLS to a version beyond 2.12.23 that contains the corrected padding length validation. Verify that all applications and services linking against the vulnerable GnuTLS library are restarted after the upgrade.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,072.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2013-2116 — 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-2013-2116 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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