# CVE-2013-6456: Path traversal in n/a

> Local users can exploit symlink attacks in LXC containers to delete host devices, create nodes, or crash the host OS via libvirt APIs.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.8 (`AV:A/AC:M/Au:S/C:N/I:P/A:C`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 15 Apr 2014
- **Updated:** 6 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2013-6456, GHSA-4c8j-w686-c2jw

## What is CVE-2013-6456?

CVE-2013-6456 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in Fedoraproject Fedora, published on 15 Apr 2014. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

The LXC driver (lxc/lxc_driver.c) in libvirt 1.0.1 through 1.2.1 allows local users to (1) delete arbitrary host devices via the virDomainDeviceDettach API and a symlink attack on /dev in the container; (2) create arbitrary nodes (mknod) via the virDomainDeviceAttach API and a symlink attack on /dev in the container; and cause a denial of service (shutdown or reboot host OS) via the (3) virDomainShutdown or (4) virDomainReboot API and a symlink attack on /dev/initctl in the container, related to "paths under /proc/$PID/root" and the virInitctlSetRunLevel function.

Weakness: CWE-59 (Improper Link Resolution Before File Access)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2013-6456?

It affects 2 products.


Products: Fedoraproject Fedora, Redhat Libvirt.

## How do I fix CVE-2013-6456?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2013-6456 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2013-6456 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Fedoraproject Fedora

- [CVE-2024-4577](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-4577/): PHP-CGI OS Command Injection (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2021-39226](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-39226/): Grafana Authentication Bypass (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2019-5544](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-5544/): VMware ESXi and Horizon DaaS OpenSLP Heap-Based Buffer Overflow (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2024-4947](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-4947/): Google Chromium V8 Type Confusion (critical 9.6, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2024-4671](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-4671/): Google Chromium Visuals Use-After-Free (critical 9.6, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2013-6456 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2013-6456 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in Fedoraproject Fedora, published on 15 Apr 2014. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2013-6456 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Fedoraproject Fedora. 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-2013-6456/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-6456/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2013-6456
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2013-6456
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2013-6456

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-6456/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.