Enterprise Linux Desktop SupplementaryOperating system · Redhat
CVE-2014-7941
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 SelectionOwner::ProcessTarget function in ui/base/x/selection_owner.cc in the UI implementation in Google Chrome before 40.0.2214.91 uses an incorrect data type for a certain length value, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (out-of-bounds read) via crafted X11 data.
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 SelectionOwner::ProcessTarget function in Chrome's X11 selection handling (ui/base/x/selection_owner.cc) uses an incorrect data type for a length value, allowing an out-of-bounds read when processing malicious X11 data. This is a type mismatch vulnerability where signed/unsigned confusion leads to improper bounds checking.
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
Enterprise Linux Desktop SupplementaryOperating system
= 6.0
Enterprise Linux Server SupplementaryOperating system
= 6.0
Enterprise Linux Server Supplementary EusOperating system
= 6.6.z
Enterprise Linux Workstation SupplementaryOperating system
= 6.0
ChromeWeb browser
<= 40.0.2214.85= 40.0.2214.110= 13.1= 13.2CVSS 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
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- Partial
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:P
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 the installed browser and its versionRun 'google-chrome --version' or 'chromium --version' or 'chrome --version' to get the exact version numberAffected if Version is Google Chrome <= 40.0.2214.85 or Chromium = 40.0.2214.110
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Confirm the operating system uses X11Check if the system is running Linux with an X11 display server by examining the DISPLAY variable (echo $DISPLAY) or checking for X11-related processesAffected if The system runs Linux with X11, as this vulnerability exists specifically in Chrome's X11 selection handling code
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Verify the selection owner component is in useInspect ui/base/x/selection_owner.cc is present in the Chrome/Chromium installation - this file handles X11 clipboard/selection operationsAffected if The vulnerable code path in selection_owner.cc is exercised when X11 selection data is processed, which occurs during clipboard operations on X11 systems
A user is affected if they run Google Chrome version 40.0.2214.85 or earlier, or Chromium version 40.0.2214.110, on a Linux system with X11, where the X11 selection handling code can be triggered during clipboard or selection data 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.
From vendor dataUpdate Google Chrome to version 40.0.2214.91 or later to obtain the patched version containing the corrected data type handling in the X11 selection processing code.
Fix this in Enterprise Linux Desktop Supplementary
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,224.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2014-7941 — 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-2014-7941 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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