CVE-2013-2977
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 · uneditedInteger overflow in IBM Notes 8.5.x before 8.5.3 FP4 Interim Fix 1 and 9.x before 9.0 Interim Fix 1 on Windows, and 8.5.x before 8.5.3 FP5 and 9.x before 9.0.1 on Linux, allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a malformed PNG image in a previewed e-mail message, aka SPR NPEI96K82Q.
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 confidenceInteger overflow vulnerability in IBM Notes when processing malformed PNG images in email previews. On Windows, versions 8.5.x before 8.5.3 FP4 IF1 and 9.x before 9.0 IF1 are affected; on Linux, 8.5.x before 8.5.3 FP5 and 9.x before 9.0.1 are affected. Successful exploitation allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted PNG attachment viewed in the email preview pane.
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= 8.5= 8.5.0.0= 8.5.0.1= 8.5.1= 8.5.1.0= 8.5.1.1= 8.5.1.2= 8.5.1.3= 8.5.1.4= 8.5.1.5= 8.5.2.0= 8.5.2.1CVSS 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.
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Determine IBM Notes installed versionOpen IBM Notes, go to Help > About IBM Notes, or check the version from the installation directory (typically in Program Files/IBM/Notes or /opt/ibm/notes). On Windows, check the executable properties; on Linux, run 'ls -la' on the notes binary.Affected if Version is 8.5.x (8.5, 8.5.0 through 8.5.2.1) or 9.0.x before the fixed releases (Windows: before 8.5.3 FP4 IF1 or 9.0 IF1; Linux: before 8.5.3 FP5 or 9.0.1)
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Identify operating system platformCheck whether IBM Notes is running on Windows or Linux. On Windows, verify the OS type in System Properties; on Linux, run 'uname -a' or check the installation path.Affected if Running on either Windows or Linux - the vulnerable versions differ between platforms, but both are affected
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Verify email preview functionality is enabledIn IBM Notes, go to File > Preferences > Mail > Preview pane, or check the Notes.ini configuration file for 'MailPreview=1' setting. On Windows, the registry key HKCU\Software\IBM\Notes\OverrideDefaults\MailPreview may also indicate this.Affected if Email preview is enabled - exploitation occurs when a malformed PNG attachment is viewed in the preview pane
A user is affected if IBM Notes version falls within the vulnerable 8.5.x or 9.0.x ranges for their OS platform and email preview is enabled, allowing malformed PNG attachments in email previews to trigger the integer overflow.
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 IBM Notes to the patched versions (8.5.3 FP4 IF1 or later on Windows, 8.5.3 FP5 or later on Linux, 9.0.1 or later). Until patched, disable automatic email preview or use additional email filtering to block potentially malicious attachments.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation3.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2013-2977 — 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-2013-2977 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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data