ChromeWeb browser · Google
CVE-2018-16084
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 default selected dialog button in CustomHandlers in Google Chrome prior to 69.0.3497.81 allowed a remote attacker who convinced the user to perform certain operations to open external programs 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 confidenceA vulnerability in Google Chrome's CustomHandlers dialog mechanism allowed remote attackers to manipulate the default selected button in protocol handler dialogs through crafted HTML pages, potentially causing the browser to open external programs without proper user consent.
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
< 69.0.3497.81
Enterprise Linux DesktopOperating system
= 6.0
Enterprise Linux ServerOperating system
= 6.0
Enterprise Linux WorkstationOperating system
= 6.0CVSS 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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Check installed Google Chrome versionOpen Chrome and navigate to chrome://version, or check your system's installed packages list for the Chrome version numberAffected if The installed version is lower than 69.0.3497.81
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Determine if protocol handlers are registeredInspect Chrome's protocol handler settings - typically found in Settings under Privacy > Content settings > Handlers, or by visiting chrome://settings/handlersAffected if Protocol handlers are enabled that could open external applications without explicit user confirmation each time
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Check Chrome installation on RHEL 6.0 systemsOn Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.0 systems, query the installed package database for Google Chrome (e.g., rpm query for chrome package and version)Affected if Google Chrome is installed on RHEL 6.0 and the version is below 69.0.3497.81
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Verify if CustomHandlers dialog behavior is exploitableTest protocol handler dialogs by visiting a webpage that registers a custom protocol handler, and observe whether the dialog can be manipulated to pre-select an actionAffected if The dialog defaults to an action that opens an external program without requiring explicit user selection each time
You are affected if Google Chrome version 69.0.3497.81 or higher is not installed, and protocol handler dialogs can be manipulated to automatically launch external programs.
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 data69.0.3497.81
Update Google Chrome to version 69.0.3497.81 or later to remediate this vulnerability.
Fix this in Chrome
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 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 $1,744.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-16084 — 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-2018-16084 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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data