Debian LinuxOperating system · Debian
CVE-2016-1693
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 · uneditedbrowser/safe_browsing/srt_field_trial_win.cc in Google Chrome before 51.0.2704.63 does not use the HTTPS service on dl.google.com to obtain the Software Removal Tool, which allows remote attackers to spoof the chrome_cleanup_tool.exe (aka CCT) file via a man-in-the-middle attack on an HTTP session.
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 confidenceGoogle Chrome before 51.0.2704.63 downloads the Software Removal Tool (chrome_cleanup_tool.exe) over HTTP instead of HTTPS from dl.google.com. This allows remote attackers on the same network to perform a man-in-the-middle attack and inject a malicious version of the cleanup tool, potentially executing arbitrary code on the victim's machine.
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
Debian LinuxOperating system
= 8.0
Enterprise Linux DesktopOperating system
= 6.0
Enterprise Linux ServerOperating system
= 6.0
Enterprise Linux WorkstationOperating system
= 6.0
ChromeWeb browser
<= 50.0.2661.102= 42.1= 13.2= 12.0CVSS 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
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/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.
-
Check Google Chrome versionOpen Chrome and navigate to chrome://version, or go to Help > About Google Chrome. Alternatively, on Linux run 'google-chrome --version' or check the package manager (dpkg -l google-chrome* or rpm -qi google-chrome')Affected if The installed version is 50.0.2661.102 or earlier (any version below 51.0.2704.63)
-
Verify if Software Removal Tool is accessibleIn Chrome, navigate to chrome://settings/cleanup or look for the 'Clean up computer' option in Settings under Reset and clean up. On some systems, the tool may be located at C:\Program Files\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome_cleanup_tool.exe on Windows or /opt/google/chrome/chrome_cleanup_tool on LinuxAffected if The cleanup tool feature exists and the browser version is in the affected range (<=50.0.2661.102)
You are affected if Google Chrome version 50.0.2661.102 or earlier is installed and the Software Removal Tool feature is available on the system.
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 51.0.2704.63 or later, which uses HTTPS for downloading the Software Removal Tool. Organizations should ensure patch management processes keep Chrome installations current.
Fix this in Debian Linux
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing1.0 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 $1,744.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-1693 — 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-2016-1693 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
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
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