CVE-2013-4102
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedCryptocat before 2.0.22 strophe.js Math.random() Random Number Generator Weakness
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceCryptocat before version 2.0.22 used the JavaScript Math.random() function in the strophe.js library for cryptographic operations. Math.random() is not a cryptographically secure pseudo-random number generator (CSPRNG) and produces predictable output, making encrypted communications vulnerable to being decrypted by attackers.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data< 2.0.22CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify Cryptocat installationSearch for the Cryptocat application or browser extension in your system. Check browser extension directories (e.g., ~/.config/chromium/Extensions/ for Chrome, or equivalent profile directories for other browsers). Look for folders or files containing 'cryptocat' in the name.Affected if Cryptocat is installed and is a version before 2.0.22
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Determine installed Cryptocat versionIf found as a browser extension, open the manifest.json file in the extension folder and check the 'version' field. For desktop installations, check the application's 'About' section or its metadata files.Affected if The version field shows a number less than 2.0.22 (e.g., 2.0.21, 2.0.20, etc.)
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Inspect strophe.js library for Math.random usageLocate the strophe.js file within the Cryptocat extension or installation directory. Open the file and search for occurrences of 'Math.random()'. Check if it is used in functions related to key generation, session tokens, or encryption.Affected if Math.random() appears in the code and is used within cryptographic contexts (e.g., generating keys, random nonces, or session identifiers)
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Verify browser extension is activeOpen your browser's extension manager (chrome://extensions for Chrome) and confirm Cryptocat is enabled and running.Affected if Cryptocat extension is enabled and the version is below 2.0.22
You are affected if Cryptocat version is below 2.0.22 and the strophe.js library uses Math.random() for cryptographic operations.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
dbcve · scoped2.0.22
Upgrade Cryptocat to version 2.0.22 or later which implements a proper cryptographically secure random number generator for cryptographic operations.
2.0.22
- Ensure all users upgrade their Cryptocat installation to version 2.0.22 or later
- Download Cryptocat version 2.0.22 or the latest stable release from the official source
- Reinstall or update the Cryptocat application/browser extension
- Verify the installed version shows 2.0.22 or higher
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,984.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2013-4102 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2013-4102 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.
- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data