CVE-2013-7201
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 · uneditedWebHybridClient.java in PayPal 5.3 and earlier for Android ignores SSL errors, which allows man-in-the-middle attackers to spoof servers and obtain sensitive information.
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 confidenceThe PayPal Android app versions 5.3 and earlier contain a vulnerability in WebHybridClient.java where SSL certificate validation is disabled or ignored, allowing man-in-the-middle attackers to intercept encrypted communications and obtain sensitive information by spoofing the legitimate server.
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<= 5.3CVSS 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
- High
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/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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Verify PayPal Android app is installedOn the Android device, go to Settings > Apps > find PayPal in the app list, or run 'adb shell pm list packages' and grep for paypalAffected if PayPal Android app is present on the device
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Determine installed PayPal app versionIn Settings > Apps > PayPal > App info, note the version number displayed under the app name, or use 'adb shell dumpsys package com.paypal.android.p2pmobile' to retrieve version infoAffected if Version is 5.3 or earlier
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Compare version against affected rangeCompare the installed version number to the affected range: versions 5.3 and earlier are vulnerableAffected if Installed version is less than or equal to 5.3
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Inspect WebHybridClient.java for disabled SSL validation (optional)Decompile the APK using tools like jadx or apktool, then locate WebHybridClient.java and examine the code for TrustManager implementation or SSLContext setup that disables certificate validation (look for empty TrustManager or hostname verification bypass)Affected if Code shows SSL certificate validation is disabled or improperly configured in WebHybridClient.java
A device is affected if the PayPal Android app version 5.3 or earlier is installed and the WebHybridClient component has SSL certificate validation disabled, allowing MITM attackers to intercept sensitive communications.
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 to PayPal Android app version 5.4 or later. For developers: implement proper SSL certificate validation using certificate pinning or a correctly configured TrustManager that validates the full certificate chain.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,176.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2013-7201 — 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-2013-7201 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