CVE-2013-3983
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 Meeting Server in IBM Sametime 8.5.2 through 8.5.2.1 and 9.x through 9.0.0.1 does not validate URLs in Cookie headers before using them in redirects, which has unspecified impact and remote attack vectors.
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 confidenceIBM Sametime Meeting Server fails to validate URLs embedded in Cookie headers before using them in redirect responses. This allows attackers to craft malicious cookies containing arbitrary URLs that the server will redirect users to, enabling phishing or secondary attack execution.
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= 8.5.2.0= 8.5.2.1= 9.0.0.0= 9.0.0.1CVSS 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
- Low
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- Partial
- Integrity
- Partial
- Availability
- Partial
AV:N/AC:L/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.
-
Confirm IBM Sametime Meeting Server installationLocate the IBM Sametime installation directory (commonly in Program Files/IBM/Sametime or similar), and identify if the Meeting Server component (stconfserver or meeting server binaries) is present.Affected if IBM Sametime Meeting Server is installed and the Meeting Server component exists on the system.
-
Identify installed Sametime versionCheck the version file in the Sametime installation directory, or run 'stvers.exe -v' or check IBM Installation Manager registry for installed packages.Affected if The installed version matches exactly 8.5.2.0, 8.5.2.1, 9.0.0.0, or 9.0.0.1.
-
Verify Meeting Server service is runningCheck Windows Services or running processes for 'IBM Sametime Meeting Server' or 'stconfserver' process.Affected if The Meeting Server service process is actively running.
-
Review Cookie handling configurationInspect the Meeting Server configuration files (stconfig.nsf or meeting server XML config files) for any custom Cookie header processing or redirect logic.Affected if Custom cookie-based redirect configurations exist or the default redirect handling is in use without URL validation.
A user is affected if IBM Sametime Meeting Server is running with version 8.5.2.0, 8.5.2.1, 9.0.0.0, or 9.0.0.1, as these versions contain the vulnerable URL validation code for Cookie header redirects.
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 dataApply IBM Sametime patches 8.5.2.2 or 9.0.1 and later, which contain proper URL validation for Cookie header values before redirect usage.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,176.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2013-3983 — 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-2013-3983 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