CVE-2013-2028

nginx 1.3.9-1.4.0 - Remote Code Execution via Chunked Transfer-Encoding

Title source: llm
STIX 2.1

Exploitation Summary

EIP tracks 12 public exploits for CVE-2013-2028. PoCs published by Metasploit, sorbo, kingcope, including Metasploit module exploits/linux/http/nginx_chunked_size.

AI-analyzed exploit summary This Metasploit module exploits a stack buffer overflow in nginx versions 1.3.9 to 1.4.0 via a malformed chunked encoding request. It bypasses stack canary protection through brute-forcing and achieves remote code execution on vulnerable systems.

Description

The ngx_http_parse_chunked function in http/ngx_http_parse.c in nginx 1.3.9 through 1.4.0 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) and execute arbitrary code via a chunked Transfer-Encoding request with a large chunk size, which triggers an integer signedness error and a stack-based buffer overflow.

Exploits (12)

exploitdb WORKING POC VERIFIED
by Metasploit · rubyremotelinux
https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/25775

This Metasploit module exploits a stack buffer overflow in nginx versions 1.3.9 to 1.4.0 via a malformed chunked encoding request. It bypasses stack canary protection through brute-forcing and achieves remote code execution on vulnerable systems.

Classification
Working Poc 100%
Attack Type
Rce
Complexity
Complex
Reliability
Reliable
Target: nginx 1.3.9-1.4.0
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Network access to vulnerable nginx server · Target system must be running a vulnerable version of nginx
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 16, 2026 Full analysis →
exploitdb WORKING POC
by sorbo · textremotelinux_x86-64
https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/32277

This exploit leverages the BROP (Blind Return-Oriented Programming) technique to achieve remote code execution on 64-bit nginx versions <= 1.4.0. It includes scripts for scanning, fragmentation, and exploitation, making it adaptable to various distributions and source-compiled installations.

Classification
Working Poc 90%
Attack Type
Rce
Complexity
Complex
Reliability
Reliable
Target: nginx <= 1.4.0
No auth needed
Prerequisites: 64-bit nginx installation · network access to the target · ability to send crafted packets
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 16, 2026 Full analysis →
exploitdb WORKING POC
by kingcope · perlremotelinux_x86
https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/26737

This exploit targets a vulnerability in nginx 1.3.9/1.4.0 (CVE-2013-2028) to achieve remote code execution by leveraging a brute-force method to bypass stack protections and execute a reverse shell. It requires specific network conditions (e.g., high MTU) and is designed for x86 Linux systems.

Classification
Working Poc 95%
Attack Type
Rce
Complexity
Complex
Reliability
Racy
Target: nginx 1.3.9/1.4.0
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Network access to vulnerable nginx server · High MTU setting on attacker's machine · x86 Linux target
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 16, 2026 Full analysis →
exploitdb WORKING POC
by Mert SARICA · pythondoslinux
https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/25499

This exploit targets a denial-of-service (DoS) vulnerability in nginx versions 1.3.9 to 1.4.0 by sending malformed chunked HTTP requests. The PoC sends a series of chunked requests with an invalid chunk size to trigger a crash or hang in the nginx server.

Classification
Working Poc 95%
Attack Type
Dos
Complexity
Trivial
Reliability
Reliable
Target: nginx 1.3.9-1.4.0
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Network access to the target nginx server
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 16, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec WORKING POC 55 stars
by kitctf · poc
https://github.com/kitctf/nginxpwn

This repository contains the nginx 1.4.0 source code and precompiled binaries for exploiting CVE-2013-2028, a stack-based buffer overflow vulnerability. It includes a Vagrantfile for easy setup and debugging instructions.

Classification
Working Poc 95%
Attack Type
Rce
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: nginx 1.4.0
No auth needed
Prerequisites: nginx 1.4.0 installed · ability to send crafted HTTP requests
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 16, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec WORKING POC 30 stars
by danghvu · poc
https://github.com/danghvu/nginx-1.4.0

This repository contains a working exploit PoC for CVE-2013-2028, a buffer overflow vulnerability in nginx 1.4.0. The exploit uses a ROP chain and shellcode to achieve remote code execution via a crafted HTTP request with chunked encoding.

Classification
Working Poc 95%
Attack Type
Rce
Complexity
Complex
Reliability
Reliable
Target: nginx 1.4.0
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Target running nginx 1.4.0 · Network access to the target
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 16, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec WORKING POC 20 stars
by m4drat · poc
https://github.com/m4drat/CVE-2013-2028-Exploit

This exploit targets an integer overflow in Nginx's chunked encoding parser (CVE-2013-2028) to achieve remote code execution via a reverse shell. It bruteforces the stack canary, leverages ROP to call mprotect, and executes shellcode.

Classification
Working Poc 95%
Attack Type
Rce
Complexity
Complex
Reliability
Reliable
Target: Nginx 1.3.9 to 1.4.0
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Network access to vulnerable Nginx instance · Python 2.x environment · pwntools library
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 16, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec WORKING POC 3 stars
by tachibana51 · poc
https://github.com/tachibana51/CVE-2013-2028-x64-bypass-ssp-and-pie-PoC

This is a Python-based exploit PoC for CVE-2013-2028, targeting a vulnerability in nginx to bypass NX, PIE, SSP, and ASLR protections. It uses a reverse shell payload and leverages memory corruption techniques to achieve remote code execution.

Classification
Working Poc 95%
Attack Type
Rce
Complexity
Complex
Reliability
Racy
Target: nginx (version not explicitly specified)
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Network access to the target · Vulnerable nginx version · Knowledge of target's libc version
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 16, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec WORKING POC 1 stars
by jptr218 · poc
https://github.com/jptr218/nginxhack

This is a functional exploit for CVE-2013-2028 targeting Nginx 1.3.9/1.4.0, which leverages a stack-based buffer overflow via chunked encoding to inject and execute a bind shell payload. The exploit includes canary brute-forcing and shellcode injection for remote code execution.

Classification
Working Poc 95%
Attack Type
Rce
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: Nginx 1.3.9, 1.4.0
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Target running vulnerable Nginx version · Network access to the target · Linux-based target system
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 16, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec SCANNER
by xiw1ll · poc
https://github.com/xiw1ll/CVE-2013-2028_Checker

This repository contains a Python script that checks if a target Nginx server is vulnerable to CVE-2013-2028 by parsing the version from the Server header. It does not exploit the vulnerability but verifies if the version falls within the affected range (1.3.9 to 1.4.0).

Classification
Scanner 100%
Attack Type
Info Leak
Complexity
Trivial
Reliability
Reliable
Target: Nginx 1.3.9-1.4.0
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Network access to the target server · Nginx server with exposed Server header
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 16, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec WORKING POC
by Sunqiz · poc
https://github.com/Sunqiz/CVE-2013-2028-reproduction

This repository contains a working exploit for CVE-2013-2028, targeting a stack-based buffer overflow in nginx 1.4.0. The exploit uses ROP chains to bypass DEP and execute a reverse shell payload.

Classification
Working Poc 95%
Attack Type
Rce
Complexity
Complex
Reliability
Reliable
Target: nginx 1.4.0
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Network access to vulnerable nginx server · Ability to brute-force canary value
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 16, 2026 Full analysis →
metasploit WORKING POC GREAT
by Greg MacManus, hal, saelo · rubypocunix
https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/blob/master/modules/exploits/linux/http/nginx_chunked_size.rb

This Metasploit module exploits a stack buffer overflow in nginx versions 1.3.9 to 1.4.0 via a crafted chunked encoding request, leveraging an integer overflow to achieve remote code execution.

Classification
Working Poc 95%
Attack Type
Rce
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: nginx 1.3.9-1.4.0
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Network access to the target nginx server · Chunked encoding enabled on the server
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 16, 2026 Full analysis →

References (10)

Core 10
Core References
Mitigation, Patch, Vendor Advisory mailing-list x_refsource_mlist
http://mailman.nginx.org/pipermail/nginx-announce/2013/000112.html
Broken Link vdb-entry x_refsource_osvdb
http://www.osvdb.org/93037
Third Party Advisory vendor-advisory x_refsource_fedora
http://lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/package-announce/2013-May/105176.html
Third Party Advisory third-party-advisory x_refsource_secunia
http://secunia.com/advisories/55181
Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry vdb-entry x_refsource_bid
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/59699
Third Party Advisory vendor-advisory x_refsource_gentoo
http://security.gentoo.org/glsa/glsa-201310-04.xml
Patch, Third Party Advisory x_refsource_misc
https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/pull/1834
Patch, Vendor Advisory x_refsource_misc
http://nginx.org/download/patch.2013.chunked.txt
Exploit, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry x_refsource_misc
http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/121675/Nginx-1.3.9-1.4.0-Denial-Of-Service.html

Scores

EPSS 0.9304
EPSS Percentile 99.8%

Details

CWE
CWE-787
Status published
Products (2)
f5/nginx 1.3.9 - 1.4.0
fedoraproject/fedora 19
Published Jul 20, 2013
Tracked Since Feb 18, 2026