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ChromeWeb browser · Google

CVE-2016-5206

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2017-01-19
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 54.0.2840.99 or later.
See remediation →
95/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges

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 · unedited
The PDF plugin in Google Chrome prior to 55.0.2883.75 for Mac, Windows and Linux, and 55.0.2883.84 for Android incorrectly followed redirects, which allowed a remote attacker to bypass the Same Origin Policy via a crafted HTML page.

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 confidence

The PDF plugin in Google Chrome prior to version 55.0.2883.75 (Mac/Windows/Linux) and 55.0.2883.84 (Android) incorrectly followed redirects, allowing a remote attacker to bypass the Same Origin Policy via a crafted HTML page. This SOP bypass could enable cross-origin data theft or other attacks leveraging the privileged PDF plugin context.

MitigationUpdate Google Chrome to version 55.0.2883.75 or later for desktop platforms, or 55.0.2883.84 or later for Android. For enterprise environments, deploy the update via centralized patch management and verify the installed version.

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
Affected:<= 54.0.2840.99

CVSS 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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check installed Chrome version on desktop
    Open chrome://version in the address bar and note the version number listed after 'Chrome' (e.g., 54.0.2840.99). Alternatively, click the three-dot menu > Help > About Google Chrome.
    Affected if The version shown is 54.0.2840.99 or lower (any version <= 54.0.2840.99)
  2. Check installed Chrome version on Android
    Open the Chrome app, tap the three-dot menu > Help & Feedback > About Chrome, and note the version number.
    Affected if The version shown is 55.0.2883.83 or lower (any version < 55.0.2883.84)
  3. Confirm the PDF plugin is enabled
    Navigate to chrome://plugins, locate the 'Chrome PDF Viewer' plugin, and verify it shows as Enabled.
    Affected if The PDF viewer plugin is enabled and the Chrome version is in the affected range from step 1 or 2

A user is affected if their Chrome version is 54.0.2840.99 or lower on desktop platforms, or 55.0.2883.83 or lower on Android, AND the built-in PDF viewer plugin is enabled.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 data
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 54.0.2840.99
Interim mitigation

Update Google Chrome to version 55.0.2883.75 or later for desktop platforms, or 55.0.2883.84 or later for Android. For enterprise environments, deploy the update via centralized patch management and verify the installed version.

Fix this in Chrome Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
4.0 hours of engineering $750
Get the upgrade done

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

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2016-5206 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

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.

What belongs here
  • 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