CVE-2013-4872
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 · uneditedGoogle Glass before XE6 does not properly restrict the processing of QR codes, which allows physically proximate attackers to modify the configuration or redirect users to arbitrary web sites via a crafted symbol, as demonstrated by selecting a Wi-Fi access point in order to conduct a man-in-the-middle attack.
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 confidenceGoogle Glass before XE6 does not properly validate or restrict QR code content during scanning. When a user scans a crafted QR code, attackers can trigger the device to modify its configuration settings (such as Wi-Fi access point selection) or silently redirect the browser to arbitrary malicious websites, enabling man-in-the-middle attacks.
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<= xe5CVSS 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
- Local
- Complexity
- M
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- Complete
- Integrity
- Complete
- Availability
- Complete
AV:L/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C
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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Confirm device is Google GlassIdentify the hardware device in use. Google Glass is a head-mounted wearable display running a modified Android OS. Check device system information or physical device labeling.Affected if The device is not Google Glass - other Android devices have different version numbering and are not affected by this specific vulnerability.
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Check installed firmware versionAccess Google Glass settings: Settings > Device Info > Glass version. The version will display as XE followed by a number (e.g., XE5, XE6, XE7).Affected if Version displayed is XE5 or lower (for example, XE3, XE4, XE5). Versions XE6 and later are patched.
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Verify QR code scanning historyCheck if the QR code scanning feature has been used. On Google Glass, this was accessed via the camera app with a scan option. Review any recent scan activity or browser history for unusual redirects that may indicate exploitation.Affected if QR codes have been scanned on the device, particularly from untrusted sources, since this is the attack vector that triggers the vulnerability.
User is affected if they are running Google Glass firmware version XE5 or earlier AND have used the QR code scanning feature with untrusted QR codes.
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.
From vendor dataUpdate Google Glass to version XE6 or later which implements proper validation and restriction of QR code processing. Users should avoid scanning QR codes from untrusted sources.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation16.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2013-4872 — 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-2013-4872 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