CVE-2013-2820
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 Sierra Wireless AirLink Raven X EV-DO gateway 4221_4.0.11.003 and 4228_4.0.11.003 allows remote attackers to reprogram the firmware via a replay attack using UDP ports 17336 and 17388.
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 Sierra Wireless AirLink Raven X EV-DO gateway models 4221 and 4228 running firmware 4.0.11.003 contain a replay attack vulnerability in the firmware update mechanism. Attackers can capture legitimate firmware update packets transmitted over UDP ports 17336 and 17388 and retransmit them to reprogram the device firmware without any additional authentication or cryptographic protections.
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= 4221_4.0.11.003= 4228_4.0.11.003all versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsCVSS 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
- Complete
- Integrity
- Complete
- Availability
- Complete
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/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 the device modelAccess the device admin interface or check the physical device label to confirm it is a Sierra Wireless AirLink Raven X EV-DO model 4221 or 4228, or an AirLink MP variant (AT&T, Bell, ROW, or Sprint) with or without WiFiAffected if The device is a Raven X EV-DO model 4221 or 4228, or any AirLink MP variant
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Check the installed firmware versionLog into the device web interface or use SNMP to query the firmware version. For Raven X models, look for version 4.0.11.003. For AirLink MP variants, any version is affectedAffected if Firmware version is 4.0.11.003 on Raven X models, or any version on AirLink MP variants (AT&T, Bell, ROW, Sprint, with or without WiFi)
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Verify if UDP ports 17336 and 17388 are openPerform a port scan against the device on UDP ports 17336 and 17388 to determine if the firmware update service is exposedAffected if UDP port 17336 or 17388 is open and accessible on the device, indicating the vulnerable firmware update mechanism is exposed
The environment is affected if the device is a Sierra Wireless AirLink Raven X EV-DO (4221/4228) running firmware 4.0.11.003 or an AirLink MP variant of any firmware version, and UDP ports 17336/17388 are accessible.
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 dataImplement cryptographic authentication (e.g., message authentication codes or digital signatures) for firmware updates to prevent replay attacks. If a patched firmware is available from Sierra Wireless, upgrade to the fixed version. Otherwise, network isolate affected devices or block UDP ports 17336 and 17388 at the network perimeter as a compensating control.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2013-2820 — 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-2013-2820 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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