ChromeWeb browser · Google
CVE-2016-1694
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/browsing_data/browsing_data_remover.cc in Google Chrome before 51.0.2704.63 deletes HPKP pins during cache clearing, which makes it easier for remote attackers to spoof web sites via a valid certificate from an arbitrary recognized Certification Authority.
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 confidenceIn Google Chrome versions before 51.0.2704.63, the browsing_data_remover.cc component incorrectly deletes HPKP (HTTP Public Key Pinning) pins when users clear their browsing data or cache. This undermines the HPKP security mechanism designed to prevent man-in-the-middle attacks by pinning trusted certificate public keys, potentially allowing attackers to spoof websites using valid certificates from any recognized Certification Authority.
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
Debian LinuxOperating system
= 8.0
Enterprise Linux DesktopOperating system
= 6.0
Enterprise Linux ServerOperating system
= 6.0
Enterprise Linux WorkstationOperating system
= 6.0= 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.
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Check installed Chrome versionOpen Chrome, go to Menu > Help > About Google Chrome, or navigate to chrome://version, or run `google-chrome --version` or `chromium --version` in terminalAffected if Version is 50.0.2661.102 or earlier (any version <= 50.0.2661.102)
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Identify if HPKP is in useCheck browser profiles for HSTS and HPKP preload entries. On Linux: inspect ~/.config/google-chrome/Default/TransportSecurity or ~/.config/chromium/Default/TransportSecurity file for 'hpkp' or 'public-key-pins' entriesAffected if The browser has stored HPKP pins from previously visited websites (file contains 'public-key-pins' or 'hpkp' entries)
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Confirm browsing data removal behaviorWhen clearing browsing data in Chrome (Menu > Clear browsing data), the browser removes HPKP pins along with other data. There is no separate HPKP option to preserve pins.Affected if Clearing browsing data (especially cached images and files or all time) removes HPKP pins that were previously set by websites
User is affected if running Chrome version 50.0.2661.102 or earlier AND has used websites that set HPKP headers, because clearing browser data will incorrectly delete those security pins.
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 to Chrome 51.0.2704.63 or later, which properly preserves HPKP pins during browsing data removal.
Fix this in Chrome
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation1.0 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 $1,200.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-1694 — 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-2016-1694 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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