CVE-2013-7098
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 · uneditedOpenConnect VPN client with GnuTLS before 5.02 contains a heap overflow if MTU is increased on reconnection.
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 confidenceHeap overflow vulnerability in OpenConnect VPN client when using GnuTLS before version 5.02. The overflow is triggered specifically when the MTU (Maximum Transmission Unit) is increased during a VPN reconnection event, potentially allowing remote code 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< 5.02CVSS 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
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
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.
-
Identify OpenConnect installation and versionRun 'openconnect --version' or check via package manager (dpkg -l openconnect, rpm -q openconnect)Affected if OpenConnect version is installed and is less than 5.02
-
Identify GnuTLS library versionRun 'gnutls-cli --version' or check the GnuTLS library file version (ldd $(which openconnect) | grep gnutls)Affected if GnuTLS library version is less than 5.02
-
Confirm both vulnerable components presentVerify OpenConnect is linked to a GnuTLS library (run ldd on the openconnect binary)Affected if OpenConnect uses GnuTLS and both component version checks above are true (both versions are in vulnerable ranges)
-
Check MTU configuration behaviorReview VPN configuration logs or scripts for MTU value changes during reconnection events. The vulnerability triggers when MTU increases during reconnection.Affected if MTU is set to increase during reconnection events while using vulnerable OpenConnect and GnuTLS versions
The environment is affected if OpenConnect version is below 5.02 AND GnuTLS version is below 5.02, with MTU potentially increasing during VPN reconnection events.
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.
dbcve · scoped5.02
Update GnuTLS to version 5.02 or later, or update the OpenConnect client to a patched version that addresses this heap overflow vulnerability.
5.02 or later
- 1. Identify the currently installed OpenConnect version using 'openconnect --version' or your system's package manager
- 2. Upgrade OpenConnect to version 5.02 or later to resolve the heap overflow vulnerability
- 3. Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the new version number
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,984.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2013-7098 — 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-2013-7098 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