ChromeWeb browser · Google
CVE-2016-1678
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 · uneditedobjects.cc in Google V8 before 5.0.71.32, as used in Google Chrome before 51.0.2704.63, does not properly restrict lazy deoptimization, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (heap-based buffer overflow) or possibly have unspecified other impact via crafted JavaScript code.
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 confidenceHeap-based buffer overflow vulnerability in Google V8 JavaScript engine's lazy deoptimization mechanism (objects.cc) allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause denial of service via crafted malicious JavaScript.
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
<= 50.0.2661.102
Ubuntu LinuxOperating system
= 14.04= 15.10= 16.04
Debian LinuxOperating system
= 8.0
Enterprise Linux DesktopOperating system
= 6.0
Enterprise Linux ServerOperating system
= 6.0
Enterprise Linux WorkstationOperating system
= 6.0<= 5.0.71= 42.1CVSS 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
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
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 Google Chrome versionOpen Chrome and navigate to chrome://version, or run 'google-chrome --version' or 'chrome --version' from command lineAffected if Version is 50.0.2661.102 or earlier (any version up to and including 50.0.2661.102)
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Check V8 JavaScript engine version in ChromeIn Chrome, open Developer Tools (F12), go to Console tab, type 'V8.getHeapStatistics' or visit chrome://version to see the V8 version number listedAffected if V8 version is 5.0.71 or earlier
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Check standalone V8 version (if V8 is installed separately)Run 'v8 --version' from command line if V8 is installed as a standalone component, or check the package version via system package manager (dpkg -l, rpm -q, or zypper se)Affected if V8 package version is 5.0.71 or earlier
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Identify if Chromium-based browsers are in useList installed browsers: check /usr/bin for chrome, chromium, or similar executables; on Windows check Program Files for Chrome or Chromium foldersAffected if Any Chromium-based browser version is 50.0.2661.102 or earlier
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Check Node.js V8 version (if Node.js uses vulnerable V8)Run 'node -v' to get Node.js version, then 'node -p "process.versions.v8"' to get the embedded V8 versionAffected if The V8 version reported is 5.0.71 or earlier
A system is affected if Google Chrome version is 50.0.2661.102 or earlier, or if the V8 JavaScript engine version is 5.0.71 or earlier, and the browser or application uses the vulnerable V8 engine to execute JavaScript code.
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 dataUpgrade Google Chrome to version 51.0.2704.63 or later, which includes the patched V8 engine (5.0.71.32 or later).
Fix this in Chrome
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation1.0 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 $1,376.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-1678 — 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-2016-1678 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