# CVE-2013-1899: Command injection in n/a

> Remote attackers can cause denial of service or execute arbitrary code via argument injection in PostgreSQL connection requests.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.5 (`AV:N/AC:L/Au:S/C:P/I:P/A:P`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 4 Apr 2013
- **Updated:** 6 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-ch6v-hpg8-wfmr

## What is CVE-2013-1899?

CVE-2013-1899 is a medium-severity command injection vulnerability in Canonical Ubuntu Linux, published on 4 Apr 2013. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Argument injection vulnerability in PostgreSQL 9.2.x before 9.2.4, 9.1.x before 9.1.9, and 9.0.x before 9.0.13 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (file corruption), and allows remote authenticated users to modify configuration settings and execute arbitrary code, via a connection request using a database name that begins with a "-" (hyphen).

Weakness: CWE-94 (Improper Control of Generation of Code)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2013-1899?

It affects 2 products.


Products: Canonical Ubuntu Linux, Postgresql Postgresql.

## How do I fix CVE-2013-1899?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

## Is CVE-2013-1899 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2013-1899 exists.

Public exploit code:

- PostgreSQL Database Name Command Line Flag Injection (metasploit)

## Other vulnerabilities in Canonical Ubuntu Linux

- [CVE-2020-11651](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-11651/): SaltStack Salt Authentication Bypass (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2020-7247](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-7247/): OpenSMTPD Remote Code Execution (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2019-16928](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-16928/): Exim Out-of-bounds Write (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2018-6789](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-6789/): Exim Buffer Overflow (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2015-2590](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2015-2590/): Oracle Java SE and Java SE Embedded Remote Code Execution (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2013-1899 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2013-1899 is a medium-severity command injection vulnerability in Canonical Ubuntu Linux, published on 4 Apr 2013. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2013-1899 exists.

Affected product: Canonical Ubuntu Linux. 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-2013-1899/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-1899/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2013-1899
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2013-1899
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2013-1899

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-1899/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.