CVE-2013-7039
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 · uneditedStack-based buffer overflow in the MHD_digest_auth_check function in libmicrohttpd before 0.9.32, when MHD_OPTION_CONNECTION_MEMORY_LIMIT is set to a large value, allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) or possibly execute arbitrary code via a long URI in an authentication header.
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 confidenceStack-based buffer overflow in libmicrohttpd's MHD_digest_auth_check function allows remote attackers to cause denial of service or potentially execute arbitrary code via a long URI in an authentication header, specifically when MHD_OPTION_CONNECTION_MEMORY_LIMIT is configured to a large value.
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<= 0.9.31= 0.9.16= 0.9.17= 0.9.18= 0.9.19= 0.9.20= 0.9.21= 0.9.22= 0.9.23= 0.9.24= 0.9.25= 0.9.26CVSS 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
- High
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- Partial
- Integrity
- Partial
- Availability
- Partial
AV:N/AC:H/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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Identify libmicrohttpd versionCheck the installed version of libmicrohttpd library on the system. Common methods: running 'pkg-config --modversion libmicrohttpd', checking the library file version with 'ldd' or 'nm', or reviewing build/package metadata.Affected if The installed version is 0.9.31 or earlier, or specifically 0.9.16 through 0.9.26 inclusive.
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Verify digest authentication is in useInspect the application source code or runtime configuration for calls to MHD_digest_auth_check or MHD_digest_auth_check2 functions, or look for usage of MHD_FLAG_DIGEST_AUTH in MHD_StartDaemon calls.Affected if The application uses MHD_digest_auth_check or MHD_digest_auth_check2 for HTTP digest authentication.
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Check MHD_OPTION_CONNECTION_MEMORY_LIMIT settingSearch the application configuration, source code, or runtime parameters for MHD_OPTION_CONNECTION_MEMORY_LIMIT being set. This is passed via MHD_OPTION_CONNECTION_MEMORY_LIMIT value in MHD_set_option calls.Affected if MHD_OPTION_CONNECTION_MEMORY_LIMIT is configured to a large value (larger than typical default buffer sizes).
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Inspect authentication header processingReview any logging, debugging, or network traces that capture incoming authentication headers on the service. Check if long URI paths in Authorization headers are being processed.Affected if The service processes digest authentication headers with URI paths that could exceed expected buffer sizes.
You are affected if your system runs a vulnerable libmicrohttpd version (0.9.31 or earlier) AND uses MHD_digest_auth_check with MHD_OPTION_CONNECTION_MEMORY_LIMIT set to a large value.
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 libmicrohttpd to version 0.9.32 or later. Until then, avoid setting MHD_OPTION_CONNECTION_MEMORY_LIMIT to large values and validate/sanitize authentication header inputs.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2013-7039 — 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-2013-7039 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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