ChromeWeb browser · Google
CVE-2014-3172
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 · uneditedThe Debugger extension API in browser/extensions/api/debugger/debugger_api.cc in Google Chrome before 37.0.2062.94 does not validate a tab's URL before an attach operation, which allows remote attackers to bypass intended access limitations via an extension that uses a restricted URL, as demonstrated by a chrome:// URL.
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 Debugger extension API in Chrome fails to validate a tab's URL before allowing an attach operation. This enables a malicious or compromised extension to attach to privileged internal pages (chrome:// URLs) that should be restricted, bypassing the intended security boundary.
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
ChromeWeb browser
<= 37.0.2062.93= 37.0.2062.0= 37.0.2062.1= 37.0.2062.2= 37.0.2062.3= 37.0.2062.4= 37.0.2062.5= 37.0.2062.6= 37.0.2062.7= 37.0.2062.8= 37.0.2062.9= 37.0.2062.10CVSS 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
- Partial
- Integrity
- Partial
- Availability
- None
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/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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Check installed Chrome versionNavigate to chrome://settings/help or use 'About Google Chrome' in the Chrome menu to view the installed version numberAffected if The version is 37.0.2062.0 through 37.0.2062.10, or any version 37.0.2062.93 or lower
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Check Chrome version via command lineRun 'google-chrome --version' or 'chrome --version' in the terminal to obtain the exact version stringAffected if The version matches 37.0.2062.x where x is 0-10, or is 37.0.2062.93 or lower
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Identify Debugger extension API usageReview installed extensions for any that use the chrome.debugger API by examining extension manifest.json files in the extensions folder or by checking extension permissions in chrome://extensionsAffected if Any extension with 'debugger' permission is installed and the Chrome version is in the affected range
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Verify access to privileged URLsAttempt to open a chrome:// URL (such as chrome://settings) in a tab while a debugger is attached, or check if extensions can programmatically access chrome:// URLsAffected if A debugger can attach to tabs with chrome:// URLs and the Chrome version falls within the vulnerable version range
A user is affected if their installed Google Chrome version is 37.0.2062.0 through 37.0.2062.10 or any version 37.0.2062.93 or lower, and they have extensions installed that utilize the chrome.debugger API.
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 Chrome to version 37.0.2062.94 or later, which includes proper URL validation in the debugger_api.cc before the attach operation.
Fix this in Chrome
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation1.0 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 $1,664.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2014-3172 — 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-2014-3172 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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