How severe is CVE-2013-4983?

No CVSS score has been assigned to CVE-2013-4983 yet. Review the advisory details and affected package list to assess your exposure.

Which products are affected by CVE-2013-4983?

Affected package information for CVE-2013-4983 is not yet fully mapped. Check the official advisory links for details.

How do I patch CVE-2013-4983?

No patch has shipped for CVE-2013-4983 yet — track the sophos web appliance firmware advisory for a fixed release and apply the workarounds below in the meantime.

How do I detect CVE-2013-4983 across my infrastructure?

Inventory every sophos web appliance firmware deployment and check each version against the affected-products list above. Because the exploit targets the running system rather than your application code, also watch for remote code execution at the network and runtime layer — O3 flags the exploit behaviour from runtime telemetry and egress traffic even before a vulnerable build is confirmed.

How do I mitigate CVE-2013-4983 if there is no patch (or I can't update yet)?

Cut exposure now: restrict the management/admin interface to trusted networks, segment the device, and apply the vendor's recommended configuration mitigations and any WAF/IPS signature. O3's runtime protection blocks the exploit chain at execution, holding the line on unpatched or end-of-life systems until you can patch.

How does O3 Security protect against CVE-2013-4983?

O3 detects and blocks CVE-2013-4983 exploitation at runtime: eBPF exploit-chain detection, plus L7 egress monitoring that catches the post-exploitation callback and severs the attacker's outbound channel.

Is CVE-2013-4983 actively exploited in the wild?

Yes. There are 4 known exploit references for CVE-2013-4983, including 2 documented proof-of-concept exploits on Exploit-DB and 2 in-the-wild exploitations observed on GitHub and other sources. Treat this as actively exploitable and prioritize patching immediately. All exploit code should only be run in an isolated sandbox environment for research or authorized testing — never against production systems without explicit written authorization.

What is the EPSS score for CVE-2013-4983?

CVE-2013-4983 has an EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) score of 90.1%, placing it in the 100th percentile of all CVEs. EPSS is maintained by FIRST.org and estimates the probability that a vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. A score above 50% indicates significantly elevated exploitation risk — immediate patching is strongly recommended.

What type of vulnerability is CVE-2013-4983?

CVE-2013-4983 is classified as OS Command Injection (CWE-78). This weakness type describe the underlying flaw category, which helps determine the potential impact and the right class of mitigation. This is a high-impact weakness class that often enables remote code execution or data exposure.

Which products and versions are affected by CVE-2013-4983?

CVE-2013-4983 affects sophos web appliance firmware (1 version, e.g. 3.7.8); sophos web appliance firmware (74 versions, e.g. 3.0.0, 3.0.1, 3.0.1.1…). Check the affected-products list on this page against your deployed version to confirm exposure.

When was CVE-2013-4983 published, and has it been updated?

CVE-2013-4983 was published on September 10, 2013 and was last updated on June 16, 2026. Advisory data evolves as severity scores, affected ranges, and exploit intelligence are revised — always check the latest version of the advisory before acting.

CVE-2013-4983

The get_referers function in /opt/ws/bin/sblistpack in Sophos Web Appliance before 3.7.9.1 and 3.8 before 3.8.1.1 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands via shell metacharacters…

Published

Sep 10, 2013

Updated

Jun 16, 2026

Affected

0 pkgs

Patched

None yet

Exploits

4 known

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗

90.1%probability of exploitation in next 30 days

Very High Risk100th percentile0.00%

EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) is a daily probability model maintained by FIRST.org. It estimates the likelihood a CVE will be exploited in production environments within the next 30 days, derived from real-world threat intelligence signals.

Description

The get_referers function in /opt/ws/bin/sblistpack in Sophos Web Appliance before 3.7.9.1 and 3.8 before 3.8.1.1 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands via shell metacharacters in the domain parameter to end-user/index.php.

Affected Products

2 products · 76 configurations

Application

web appliance firmwaresophos

1 version

3.7.8

web appliance firmwaresophos

≤ 3.7.9

74 versions

3.0.03.0.13.0.1.13.0.23.0.33.0.43.0.53.0.5.13.1.03.1.0.13.1.13.1.2

Exploits & PoCs

Research use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.

EDB-28175webappslinux✓ Verified

Sophos Web Protection Appliance - Multiple Vulnerabilities

by Core Security · Sep 9, 2013

Exploit-DB Source

EDB-28334remotelinux✓ Verified

Sophos Web Protection Appliance - 'sblistpack' Arbitrary Command Execution (Metasploit)

by Metasploit · Sep 17, 2013

Exploit-DB Source

Detection & mitigation playbook

Vendor / appliance

Detect
Inventory every sophos web appliance firmware deployment and check each version against the affected-products list above. Because the exploit targets the running system rather than your application code, also watch for remote code execution at the network and runtime layer — O3 flags the exploit behaviour from runtime telemetry and egress traffic even before a vulnerable build is confirmed.
Remediation status
No patch has shipped for CVE-2013-4983 yet — track the sophos web appliance firmware advisory for a fixed release and apply the workarounds below in the meantime.
Mitigate without a patch
Cut exposure now: restrict the management/admin interface to trusted networks, segment the device, and apply the vendor's recommended configuration mitigations and any WAF/IPS signature. O3's runtime protection blocks the exploit chain at execution, holding the line on unpatched or end-of-life systems until you can patch.
How O3 protects you
O3 detects and blocks CVE-2013-4983 exploitation at runtime: eBPF exploit-chain detection, plus L7 egress monitoring that catches the post-exploitation callback and severs the attacker's outbound channel.

Tailored to CVE-2013-4983. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.

Frequently Asked Questions

O3 Security · Runtime Protection

Is CVE-2013-4983 being exploited in your environment?

O3's eBPF runtime sensors and L7 egress monitoring detect and block the CVE-2013-4983 exploit chain at execution — protecting unpatched and end-of-life systems until the vendor patch is applied.

Protect my workloads How runtime protection works

CVE-2013-4983

EPSS Exploitation Probability

Description

Affected Products

Detection & mitigation playbook

Detect

Remediation status

Mitigate without a patch

How O3 protects you

Frequently Asked Questions

Is CVE-2013-4983 being exploited in your environment?