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ChromeWeb browser · Google

CVE-2021-21196

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-04-09
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 89.0.4389.114 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
Heap buffer overflow in TabStrip in Google Chrome on Windows prior to 89.0.4389.114 allowed a remote attacker to potentially exploit heap corruption 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

Heap buffer overflow vulnerability in the TabStrip component of Google Chrome on Windows, exploitable via crafted HTML pages. The flaw allows a remote attacker to corrupt heap memory, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution.

MitigationUpdate Google Chrome to version 89.0.4389.114 or later on all Windows workstations. In enterprise environments, deploy the update via patch management systems and verify completion.

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:< 89.0.4389.114
FedoraOperating system
Affected:= 32= 33= 34

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:3.1/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 if Google Chrome is installed on Windows
    Open Control Panel > Programs and Features, or run 'Get-ItemProperty HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\* | Where-Object {$_.DisplayName -like "*Chrome*"}' in PowerShell
    Affected if Google Chrome appears in the installed programs list
  2. Retrieve the installed Chrome version on Windows
    Navigate to chrome://settings/help in the Chrome browser, or run '"C:\Program Files\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe" --version' in Command Prompt
    Affected if The version number displayed is lower than 89.0.4389.114
  3. Check Chrome version on Fedora Linux
    Run 'rpm -q google-chrome-stable' or 'dnf list installed google-chrome-stable' in the terminal
    Affected if Chrome is installed and the version is below 89.0.4389.114-1
  4. Verify the operating system is Windows for the primary attack surface
    Run 'winver' or check System Properties, as this vulnerability specifically affects the Windows TabStrip component
    Affected if The system is running Windows with an affected Chrome version installed

You are affected if Google Chrome version 89.0.4389.114 or higher is NOT installed on Windows (or Fedora 32/33/34), and the TabStrip component is in use through HTML page rendering.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 89.0.4389.114 or later
Fixed in 89.0.4389.114
Interim mitigation

Update Google Chrome to version 89.0.4389.114 or later on all Windows workstations. In enterprise environments, deploy the update via patch management systems and verify completion.

Recommended fix High confidence

Chrome 89.0.4389.114 or later (Fedora: google-chrome-stable package with security update)

  1. For Chrome on Windows/Mac/Linux: Open Chrome, go to Settings > Help > About Google Chrome, and install version 89.0.4389.114 or later
  2. For Fedora systems: Run 'sudo dnf update google-chrome-stable' or 'sudo dnf update chromium' to install the patched package
  3. Restart the browser after updating
  4. Verify the version by navigating to chrome://settings/help to confirm the installed version

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

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-2021-21196 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