ChromeWeb browser · Google
CVE-2016-5154
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 · uneditedMultiple heap-based buffer overflows in PDFium, as used in Google Chrome before 53.0.2785.89 on Windows and OS X and before 53.0.2785.92 on Linux, allow remote attackers to cause a denial of service or possibly have unspecified other impact via a crafted JBig2 image.
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 · moderate confidenceHeap-based buffer overflow vulnerabilities in PDFium's JBig2 image parsing logic allow remote attackers to corrupt heap memory via specially crafted JBig2 image files, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution or denial of service.
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
<= 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.
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Check installed Google Chrome versionOpen Chrome and navigate to chrome://version, or go to Menu > Help > About Google Chrome. Note the version number displayed.Affected if Version is 52.0.2743.116 or lower (any version up to and including 52.0.2743.116)
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Verify PDFium library version in embedded usageIf Chrome is embedded or PDFium is used as a standalone library in another application, locate the PDFium library file (typically libpdfium.so on Linux, pdfium.dll on Windows, or pdfium.framework on macOS) and check its version metadata or build timestamp against the fixed versions (53.0.2785.89/92 or later).Affected if The PDFium library version corresponds to the vulnerable Chrome 52 release or earlier
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Confirm JBig2 image parsing is accessibleThe vulnerability lies in PDFium's JBig2 image parsing. Verify that PDF rendering or JBig2 image decoding functionality is enabled and available in the environment. This is typically always enabled for standard PDF viewing.Affected if PDF rendering or JBig2 support is enabled (this is the default state for most installations)
A user is affected if they are running Google Chrome version 52.0.2743.116 or lower, or an embedded PDFium library from that version range, and have PDF/JBig2 rendering capabilities enabled (which is the default configuration).
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 on Windows/OS X, or 53.0.2785.92 or later on Linux. For embedded PDFium usage, update to the patched PDFium library version.
Fix this in Chrome
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,656.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-5154 — 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-2016-5154 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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