How severe is CVE-2013-4559?

CVE-2013-4559 has a CVSS 2.0 base score of 7.6, rated high severity.

Is CVE-2013-4559 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 11% (95th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2013-4559?

CVE-2013-4559 primarily affects Lighttpd. In total, 7 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2013-4559?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.

When was CVE-2013-4559 published?

CVE-2013-4559 was published on 2013-11-20 and last updated on 2026-06-16.

CVE-2013-4559

CVE-2013-4559 is a high-severity vulnerability in Lighttpd with a CVSS 2.0 base score of 7.6. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score of 11% places it in the 95th percentile, indicating an elevated likelihood of exploitation. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-264.

Key facts

Severity: High (CVSS 2.0 base score 7.6)
EPSS exploit prediction: 11% (95th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-264
Affected product: Lighttpd
Published: 2013-11-20
Last modified: 2026-06-16

Description

lighttpd before 1.4.33 does not check the return value of the (1) setuid, (2) setgid, or (3) setgroups functions, which might cause lighttpd to run as root if it is restarted and allows remote attackers to gain privileges, as demonstrated by multiple calls to the clone function that cause setuid to fail when the user process limit is reached.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2013-4559?: lighttpd before 1.4.33 does not check the return value of the (1) setuid, (2) setgid, or (3) setgroups functions, which might cause lighttpd to run as root if it is restarted and allows remote attackers to gain privileges, as demonstrated by multiple calls to the clone function that cause setuid to fail when the user process limit is reached.
How severe is CVE-2013-4559?: CVE-2013-4559 has a CVSS 2.0 base score of 7.6, rated high severity.
Is CVE-2013-4559 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 11% (95th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2013-4559?: CVE-2013-4559 primarily affects Lighttpd. In total, 7 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2013-4559?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2013-4559 published?: CVE-2013-4559 was published on 2013-11-20 and last updated on 2026-06-16.

References

Affected products (7)

cpe:2.3:a:lighttpd:lighttpd:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:6.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:7.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:8.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:opensuse:opensuse:12.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:opensuse:opensuse:12.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:opensuse:opensuse:13.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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Other CWE-264 (Permissions, Privileges, and Access Controls) vulnerabilities

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CVE-2015-7425 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): The Data Protection component in the VMware vSphere GUI in IBM Tivoli Storage Manager for Virtual Environments: Data…
CVE-2015-8267 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): The PasswordReset.Controllers.ResetController.ChangePasswordIndex method in PasswordReset.dll in Dovestones AD Self…
CVE-2015-7919 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): SearchBlox 8.3 before 8.3.1 allows remote attackers to write to the config file, and consequently cause a denial of…
CVE-2015-7071 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): The File Bookmark component in Apple OS X before 10.11.2 allows attackers to bypass a sandbox protection mechanism for…

Browse all CWE-264 (Permissions, Privileges, and Access Controls) vulnerabilities →

Threat intelligence

Threat-intel indicators referencing this CVE:

111.70.9.143 (ipv4-addr)
102.53.15.18 (ipv4-addr)
102.53.15.17 (ipv4-addr)
111.70.32.11 (ipv4-addr)
58.221.244.34 (ipv4-addr)
111.70.32.10 (ipv4-addr)
110.25.109.53 (ipv4-addr)
76.133.97.153 (ipv4-addr)