CVE-2013-2789
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 Kepware DNP Master Driver for the KEPServerEX Communications Platform before 5.12.140.0 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (master-station infinite loop) via crafted DNP3 packets to TCP port 20000 and allows physically proximate attackers to cause a denial of service (master-station infinite loop) via crafted input over a serial line.
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 Kepware DNP Master Driver for KEPServerEX versions before 5.12.140.0 contains a vulnerability where specially crafted DNP3 packets sent to TCP port 20000 or crafted input over a serial line can cause a denial of service via an infinite loop in the master station, rendering the DNP3 master functionality unresponsive.
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< 5.12.140.0CVSS 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
- None
- Availability
- Complete
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:C
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 KEPServerEX versionOpen KEPServerEX and navigate to Help > About, or check the version displayed in the server console window. Alternatively, locate the KEPServerEX installation directory and check the file properties of the main executable.Affected if The installed version is any version before 5.12.140.0 (e.g., 5.12.100.0, 5.11.x, etc.)
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Verify DNP3 Master Driver is enabledIn KEPServerEX, open the Device Manager or Channel configuration and check if a channel or device is configured using the DNP3 Master Driver. Look for DNP3 as the driver type in the channel properties.Affected if A DNP3 Master channel or device is configured and active in the KEPServerEX project
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Confirm TCP port 20000 is listeningOn the machine running KEPServerEX, open a command prompt and run 'netstat -an | findstr :20000' to check if port 20000 is in LISTENING or ESTABLISHED state. Also verify any firewall rules allowing inbound connections to this port.Affected if Port 20000 is open and accepting connections, especially if accessible from untrusted networks
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Check for serial DNP3 connectionsIn KEPServerEX channel configuration, verify if any DNP3 Master channels are configured to use serial (COM port) communication rather than TCP/IP. Check the channel properties for Serial as the transport type.Affected if A DNP3 Master channel is configured to use serial communication on any COM port
A system is affected if it runs KEPServerEX version below 5.12.140.0 AND has an active DNP3 Master Driver channel using either TCP port 20000 or serial communication, with that port or interface exposed to potentially untrusted input.
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 data5.12.140.0
Update KEPServerEX to version 5.12.140.0 or later. Additionally, restrict network access to TCP port 20000 and implement proper physical security for serial interfaces to reduce attack surface.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2013-2789 — 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-2013-2789 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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