# CVE-2013-1659: Memory corruption in n/a

> Man-in-the-middle attackers can execute arbitrary code or cause denial of service via improper NFC protocol implementation in VMware vCenter and ESXi.

- **Severity:** High 7.6 (`AV:N/AC:H/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 22 Feb 2013
- **Updated:** 17 Sep 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-6232-r5r4-983j

## What is CVE-2013-1659?

CVE-2013-1659 is a high-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Vmware Esxi, published on 22 Feb 2013. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

VMware vCenter Server 4.0 before Update 4b, 5.0 before Update 2, and 5.1 before 5.1.0b; VMware ESXi 3.5 through 5.1; and VMware ESX 3.5 through 4.1 do not properly implement the Network File Copy (NFC) protocol, which allows man-in-the-middle attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (memory corruption) by modifying the client-server data stream.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2013-1659?

It affects 3 products.


Products: Vmware Esxi, Vmware Vcenter Server, Vmware Vcenter Server Appliance.

## How do I fix CVE-2013-1659?

No fix has been published for CVE-2013-1659 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2013-1659 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2013-1659 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Vmware Esxi

- [CVE-2026-41709](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-41709/): Broadcom VMWare ESX Insufficient Logging (low 2.7, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2019-5521](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-5521/): Information disclosure in VMware ESXi (critical 9.6)
- [CVE-2024-22252](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-22252/): Use-after-free vulnerability (critical 9.3)
- [CVE-2020-3955](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-3955/): Cross-site scripting in ESXi (critical 9.3)
- [CVE-2010-4573](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2010-4573/): Auth bypass in n/a (critical 9.3)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2013-1659 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2013-1659 is a high-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Vmware Esxi, published on 22 Feb 2013. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2013-1659 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Vmware Esxi. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-1659/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-1659/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2013-1659
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2013-1659
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2013-1659

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-1659/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.