CVE-2013-6466: Openswan 2.6.39 and earlier allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (NULL pointer dereference and

Q: How do I fix CVE-2013-6466?

openswan: upgrade to newer than 2.6.39. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.

Q: Is CVE-2013-6466 being exploited?

CVE-2013-6466 is not on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list at the time of the last update. Check again, as this can change.

Q: What does CVE-2013-6466 affect?

CVE-2013-6466 affects openswan. Severity is medium (CVSS 5.0). Openswan 2.6.39 and earlier allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (NULL pointer dereference and IKE daemon restart) via IKEv2 packets that lack expected payloads.

Q: How urgent is CVE-2013-6466?

Priority 39/100. No elevated risk signals yet.

Routine

MEDIUM 5.0UPGRADE

CVE-2013-6466 is a medium-severity flaw (CVSS 5.0) affecting openswan. Below: why it ranks where it does, which versions are affected, what to do, and the exact commands.

Openswan 2.6.39 and earlier allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (NULL pointer dereference and IKE daemon restart) via IKEv2 packets that lack expected payloads.

Why this priority

No elevated risk signals yet

A fixed release or distro patch exists.

Risk facts

CVSS score	5.0 (Medium)
EPSS exploit chance	2.7% (top 14%)
CISA exploited list	No
Published	2014-01-26
Last modified	2026-06-17

Publisher (CNA): Red Hat, Inc. · Vendor: xelerance

Last updated 2026-06-17 · Sources: CVE Program, NVD, CISA KEV, EPSS and vendor advisories · How we score

Am I affected?

Timeline

2014-01-26 20:55 UTCPublished CVE record published
2026-06-17 00:00 UTCUpdated Record last modified

xelerance openswan UPGRADE

Affected: <= 2.6.39 · 2.3.0 · 2.3.1 · 2.4.0 · 2.4.1 · 2.4.2 · 2.4.3 · 2.4.4

Fixed in: newer than 2.6.39

Safe to downgrade to: no unaffected older release

1. Check installed version

apt-cache policy openswan || rpm -q openswan || openswan --version

2. UPGRADE to newer than 2.6.39 (Debian / Ubuntu)

sudo apt update && sudo apt install --only-upgrade openswan

2. UPGRADE (RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora)

sudo dnf upgrade openswan

Note

Distros often backport fixes without changing the version number. Confirm with the distro advisory or changelog.

Verify at the official source NVD · CVE Program · Report a problem with this page
Scores and fixes here are computed automatically from those and other public sources. Confirm with the vendor advisory before changing production systems.

Quick answers

How do I fix CVE-2013-6466?

openswan: upgrade to newer than 2.6.39. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.

Is CVE-2013-6466 being exploited?

CVE-2013-6466 is not on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list at the time of the last update. Check again, as this can change.

What does CVE-2013-6466 affect?

CVE-2013-6466 affects openswan. Severity is medium (CVSS 5.0). Openswan 2.6.39 and earlier allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (NULL pointer dereference and IKE daemon restart) via IKEv2 packets that lack expected payloads.

How urgent is CVE-2013-6466?

Priority 39/100. No elevated risk signals yet.

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References

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