CVE-2013-4442
Password Generator (aka Pwgen) before 2.07 uses weak pseudo generated numbers when /dev/urandom...
Password Generator (aka Pwgen) before 2.07 uses weak pseudo generated numbers when /dev/urandom is unavailable, which makes it easier for context-dependent attackers to guess the numbers.
Exploit likelihood
What each source reports
NVD Score used
5.0
Password Generator (aka Pwgen) before 2.07 uses weak pseudo generated numbers when /dev/urandom is unavailable, which makes it easier for context-dependent attackers to guess the numbers.
- Record
CVE-2013-4442- CVSS 2.0
- 5.0 Medium
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:P/A:N - Weakness
- CWE-310
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
CVE List No score
Password Generator (aka Pwgen) before 2.07 uses weak pseudo generated numbers when /dev/urandom is unavailable, which makes it easier for context-dependent attackers to guess the numbers.
- Record
CVE-2013-4442- Updated
- 2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2013-4314 No score
Password Generator (aka Pwgen) before 2.07 uses weak pseudo generated numbers when /dev/urandom is unavailable, which makes it easier for context-dependent attackers to guess the numbers.
- Record
EUVD-2013-4314- Updated
- 2026-11-03
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-gfx4-cf3g-8q5m No score
Password Generator (aka Pwgen) before 2.07 uses weak pseudo generated numbers when /dev/urandom...
Password Generator (aka Pwgen) before 2.07 uses weak pseudo generated numbers when /dev/urandom is unavailable, which makes it easier for context-dependent attackers to guess the numbers.
- Record
GHSA-gfx4-cf3g-8q5m- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSV No score
Password Generator (aka Pwgen) before 2.07 uses weak pseudo generated numbers when /dev/urandom is unavailable, which makes it easier for context-dependent attackers to guess the numbers.
- Record
CVE-2013-4442- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVDEBIAN-CVE-2013-4442 No score
Password Generator (aka Pwgen) before 2.07 uses weak pseudo generated numbers when /dev/urandom is unavailable, which makes it easier for context-dependent attackers to guess the numbers.
- Record
DEBIAN-CVE-2013-4442- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVMGASA-2014-0535 No score
Updated pwgen package fixes security vulnerabilities
Updated pwgen package fixes security vulnerabilities:
Pwgen was found to generate weak non-tty passwords by default, which could be brute-forced with a commendable success rate, which could raise security concerns (CVE-2013-4440).
Pwgen was found to silently falling back to use standard pseudo generated numbers on the systems that heavily use entropy. Systems, such as those with a lot of daemons providing encryption services, the entropy was found to be exhausted, which forces pwgen to fall back to use standard pseudo generated numbers (CVE-2013-4442).
- Record
MGASA-2014-0535- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVopenSUSE-SU-2024:10333-1 No score
pwgen-2.07-2.7 on GA media
These are all security issues fixed in the pwgen-2.07-2.7 package on the GA media of openSUSE Tumbleweed.
- Record
openSUSE-SU-2024:10333-1- Updated
- 2026-11-02
Affected products
Affected packages
| Package | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|
pwgenDebian:12 |
before 2.07-1 | 2.07-1 |
pwgenDebian:13 |
before 2.07-1 | 2.07-1 |
pwgenDebian:14 |
before 2.07-1 | 2.07-1 |
pwgenMageia:4 From an advisory covering 2 CVEs |
before 2.07-1.mga4 | 2.07-1.mga4 |
pwgenopenSUSE:Tumbleweed From an advisory covering 2 CVEs |
before 2.07-2.7 | 2.07-2.7 |
History
| Recorded | Changed | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| affected, facts | ||
| aliases | EUVD | |
| first indexed | CVE List, GitHub Advisories, NVD, OSV |
Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.
In short
CVE-2013-4442 is a medium vulnerability (CVSS 5.0) in Pwgen Project Pwgen, published December 19, 2014. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 2.17%, the 82nd percentile. Fixed in pwgen 2.07-1.
References
openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2013/06/06/1
sourceforge.net/p/pwgen/code/ci/00118ccac4656adb028504639b313d7b09e62b79
bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=672241
lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/package-announce/2014-December/146237.html
lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/package-announce/2014-December/146015.html
openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2013/10/16/15
Show 9 moreShow less
mandriva.com/security/advisories?name=MDVSA-2015:008
lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/package-announce/2014-December/146285.html
advisories.mageia.org/MGASA-2014-0535.html
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2013-4442
github.com/advisories/GHSA-gfx4-cf3g-8q5m
security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2013-4442
bugs.mageia.org/show_bug.cgi?id=14809
suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2013-4440
suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2013-4442