CVE-2013-6774
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 · uneditedUntrusted search path vulnerability in the ChainsDD Superuser package 3.1.3 for Android 4.2.x and earlier, CyanogenMod/ClockWorkMod/Koush Superuser package 1.0.2.1 for Android 4.2.x and earlier, and Chainfire SuperSU package before 1.69 for Android 4.2.x and earlier allows attackers to load an arbitrary .jar file and gain privileges via a crafted BOOTCLASSPATH environment variable for a /system/xbin/su process. NOTE: another researcher was unable to reproduce this with ChainsDD Superuser.
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 confidenceThis vulnerability allows local attackers to manipulate the BOOTCLASSPATH environment variable to inject and load an arbitrary .jar file when the /system/xbin/su process executes, enabling privilege escalation to root privileges on Android 4.2.x and earlier devices.
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= 1.69= 3.1.3= 1.0.2.1CVSS 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
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- Complete
- Integrity
- Complete
- Availability
- Complete
AV:N/AC:L/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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Identify installed superuser appRun 'pm list packages | grep -i super' or check /system/app/Superuser.apk, /data/app/*superuser*, or /system/xbin/su to determine which root privilege app is presentAffected if The package name contains 'supersu', 'superuser', 'chainsdd', or 'koush' (com.chainfire.supersu, eu.chainfire.supersu, com.koushikdutta.superuser, etc.)
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Determine installed versionRun 'dumpsys package <package_name>' for the identified superuser package, or check the APK version in /system/app/Superuser.apk or /data/app/Affected if Version equals 1.69 for Chainfire Supersu, equals 3.1.3 for Chainsdd, or equals 1.0.2.1 for Koushik Dutta Superuser (note: versions BEFORE these may also be vulnerable)
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Verify /system/xbin/su exists and permissionsRun 'ls -la /system/xbin/su' to check if the su binary exists and its permissionsAffected if The su binary exists and is owned by root with suid permissions (like -rwsr-sr-x)
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Check for BOOTCLASSPATH environment variable manipulationInspect if any process sets BOOTCLASSPATH: run 'env | grep BOOTCLASSPATH' or check init scripts in /system/etc/ or /init.rcAffected if BOOTCLASSPATH is set to a user-controlled location or is writable by the current user context
Your device is affected if a Superuser/SuperSU app matching the affected versions is installed and the /system/xbin/su binary exists, particularly if BOOTCLASSPATH can be influenced by a local attacker.
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 the Superuser/SuperSU package to the latest patched version (Chainfire SuperSU 1.69 or later; ChainsDD and CyanogenMod/ClockWorkMod/Koush packages with the fix applied).
- 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-2013-6774 — 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-2013-6774 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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- 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
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