CVE-2016-5149
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 extensions subsystem in Google Chrome before 53.0.2785.89 on Windows and OS X and before 53.0.2785.92 on Linux relies on an IFRAME source URL to identify an associated extension, which allows remote attackers to conduct extension-bindings injection attacks by leveraging script access to a resource that initially has the about:blank 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 extensions subsystem in Google Chrome versions before 53.0.2785.89 (Windows/OS X) and 53.0.2785.92 (Linux) incorrectly uses IFRAME source URLs to identify associated extensions. Remote attackers can exploit this by manipulating IFRAMEs with about:blank URLs to inject extension-bindings and gain unauthorized script access to extension functionality.
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<= 52.0.2743.116= 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.
-
Verify Google Chrome is installedCheck for Chrome executable - on Windows look in Program Files/Google/Chrome/Application/chrome.exe, on Linux check /usr/bin/google-chrome or /opt/google/chrome/chrome, on macOS check /Applications/Google Chrome.appAffected if Chrome browser is installed on the system
-
Determine installed Chrome versionOpen Chrome, click the three-dot menu > Help > About Google Chrome, or run 'google-chrome --version' (Linux) or check the executable properties (Windows)Affected if Version displayed is 52.0.2743.116 or lower (Windows/OS X) or 52.x (Linux)
-
Confirm Linux distribution package version if applicableOn OpenSUSE Leap 42.1, run 'rpm -qa | grep chrome' or check the installed package version with 'zypper se google-chrome'Affected if OpenSUSE Leap 42.1 ships Chrome version 52.x which is in the affected range
-
Note extension usage contextThe vulnerability affects any Chrome installation where extensions can be loaded - this is the default state in Chrome with no configuration change neededAffected if Chrome is being used with any extensions installed or the ability to install extensions is enabled
User is affected if Google Chrome version is 52.0.2743.116 or lower on Windows/OS X, or any 52.x version on Linux, particularly on OpenSUSE Leap 42.1 systems.
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 53.0.2785.89 or later for Windows/OS X, or 53.0.2785.92 or later for Linux. This is a client-side patch management activity.
- 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-2016-5149 — 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-2016-5149 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