CVE-2013-5133
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 · uneditedBackup in Apple iOS before 7.1 does not properly restrict symlinks, which allows remote attackers to overwrite files during a restore operation via crafted backup data.
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 iOS backup feature before version 7.1 fails to properly validate symbolic links within backup archives. When a device restores from a maliciously crafted backup containing symlinks pointing to sensitive system locations, the restore operation follows those symlinks and overwrites arbitrary files on the device, enabling privilege escalation or system compromise.
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<= 7.0.6= 7.0= 7.0.1= 7.0.2= 7.0.3= 7.0.4= 7.0.5CVSS 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
- None
- Integrity
- Complete
- Availability
- Complete
AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:N/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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Check installed iOS version on the deviceOn the iOS device, go to Settings > General > About > Version. The version number will be displayed (for example, 7.0.4 or 7.1). Alternatively, connect the device to iTunes and view the device summary page which shows the iOS version.Affected if The displayed version is 7.0, 7.0.1, 7.0.2, 7.0.3, 7.0.4, 7.0.5, or 7.0.6 (any version 7.0.x up to and including 7.0.6)
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Confirm the major iOS releaseVerify that the version begins with 7.0 - this indicates the vulnerable release branch. Versions 7.1 and later contain the fix.Affected if The version starts with 7.0 (such as 7.0, 7.0.3, or 7.0.6) rather than 7.1 or higher
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Identify backup restore exposureDetermine whether the device has been or will be restored from a backup. This vulnerability is triggered specifically when restoring from a crafted backup containing malicious symbolic links.Affected if A backup restore operation was performed or is planned using a backup from an untrusted or unknown source on a device running iOS 7.0.x
A device is affected if it is running any iOS version 7.0 through 7.0.6 and has restored or will restore from a backup that could contain malicious symlinks.
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 dataUpdate iOS devices to version 7.1 or later to obtain the patch. Additionally, avoid restoring backups from untrusted or unknown sources, as they could exploit this symlink vulnerability during the restore process.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2013-5133 — 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-2013-5133 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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