Yandex BrowserApplication · Yandex

CVE-2016-8501

MEDIUM · 5.3 CVSS v3.0 Published 2016-10-26
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
62/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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
Security WiFi bypass in Yandex Browser from version 15.10 to 15.12 allows remote attacker to sniff traffic in open or WEP-protected wi-fi networks despite of special security mechanism is enabled.

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

Yandex Browser versions 15.10 through 15.12 contain a security bypass vulnerability where a special security mechanism intended to protect users on open or WEP-protected WiFi networks can be circumvented, allowing a remote attacker to sniff network traffic.

MitigationUpgrade Yandex Browser to a version newer than 15.12, or use an alternative browser for sensitive operations on untrusted networks until the upgrade is available.

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
Yandex BrowserApplication
Affected:= 15.10.2454.3845= 15.12.0.6151= 15.12.1.6475

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
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/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 checks

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

  1. Verify Yandex Browser is installed
    Check for Yandex Browser executable: On Windows, look in Program Files\Yandex\YandexBrowser\ or check Add/Remove Programs. On macOS, check /Applications for Yandex Browser.app.
    Affected if Yandex Browser is not installed on the system.
  2. Identify installed Yandex Browser version
    Open Yandex Browser, navigate to browser://settings (or Menu > Settings), and find the version number typically displayed at the bottom of the About section. Alternatively, right-click the browser shortcut and select Properties > Details to view the version.
    Affected if The installed version falls within 15.10.x through 15.12.x range, specifically if it matches or exceeds 15.10 but is lower than 15.13.
  3. Confirm the Protect feature status
    Look for the shield icon in the browser's address bar or check Settings > Security > Protect (or Secure Network) to see if the WiFi security protection is enabled.
    Affected if The Protect feature is enabled and the browser version is in the affected range (15.10-15.12), as this indicates the vulnerable security mechanism is active.
  4. Check for network traffic protection module
    In the browser, navigate to chrome://components or browser://components (depending on interface) and look for a network protection or secure proxy component. Also inspect Settings for any 'Secure Network' or 'WiFi Protection' toggle.
    Affected if A network protection module is present and active while the browser version remains in the affected 15.10-15.12 range.

A user is affected if Yandex Browser versions 15.10 through 15.12 are installed AND the built-in network protection for open/WiFi networks is enabled, allowing potential traffic sniffing by remote attackers on untrusted networks.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade Yandex Browser to a version newer than 15.12, or use an alternative browser for sensitive operations on untrusted networks until the upgrade is available.

Fix this in Yandex Browser Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
4.0 hours of engineering $750
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Scan for this in your stack

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dbcve dependency scanner

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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-2016-8501 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