ChromeWeb browser · Google
CVE-2016-5164
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 · uneditedCross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in WebKit/Source/platform/v8_inspector/V8Debugger.cpp in Blink, as used in Google Chrome before 53.0.2785.89 on Windows and OS X and before 53.0.2785.92 on Linux, allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML into the Developer Tools (aka DevTools) subsystem via a crafted web site, aka "Universal XSS (UXSS)."
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 confidenceThis is a Universal XSS (UXSS) vulnerability in the V8Debugger component of Blink (Chrome's rendering engine). The flaw allows a malicious website to inject arbitrary JavaScript or HTML into the Chrome Developer Tools interface when opened by a user visiting the crafted site. This bypasses same-origin restrictions by targeting the DevTools subsystem directly rather than typical web page content.
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
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- Low
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/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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Verify Google Chrome is installedOpen Chrome and navigate to chrome://version, or check the application directory (e.g., /Applications/Google Chrome.app on macOS, or C:\Program Files\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe on Windows)Affected if Google Chrome browser is present on the system
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Determine installed Chrome versionNavigate to chrome://version in the Chrome address bar and note the version number displayed (e.g., 'Chrome/52.0.2743.116'), or run 'google-chrome --version' on LinuxAffected if A version number is returned by the browser or command line
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Compare version against vulnerable rangeCompare the installed version number to the affected range: Google Chrome versions 52.0.2743.116 and earlier are vulnerableAffected if Installed version is 52.0.2743.116 or any earlier version (e.g., 51.x, 50.x, etc.)
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Verify Chrome DevTools access (optional confirmation)Open Chrome DevTools (F12 or Ctrl+Shift+I) while visiting an untrusted website - the vulnerability allows script injection INTO DevTools, not FROM itAffected if This check confirms exposure but is not required for determining version-based vulnerability
A user is affected if Google Chrome version 52.0.2743.116 or earlier is installed and the Chrome DevTools interface is accessible to the user.
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. In enterprise environments, deploy the browser update via standard patch management tools and verify successful installation across affected endpoints.
Fix this in Chrome
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation3.0 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 $2,272.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-5164 — 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-2016-5164 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