ChromeWeb browser · Google
CVE-2021-38021
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 · uneditedInappropriate implementation in referrer in Google Chrome prior to 96.0.4664.45 allowed a remote attacker to bypass navigation restrictions 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 · moderate confidenceThis is a referrer policy bypass vulnerability in Google Chrome where the referrer implementation improperly handled navigation restrictions. A remote attacker could exploit this by crafting a malicious HTML page that manipulates referrer headers to bypass security controls, potentially allowing unauthorized navigation or access to sensitive resources.
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
< 96.0.4664.45
FedoraOperating system
= 34
Debian LinuxOperating system
= 10.0= 11.0CVSS 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
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/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 versionNavigate to chrome://version in the Chrome browser or run 'google-chrome --version' from command lineAffected if The version listed is lower than 96.0.4664.45
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Check Chromium version on Linux systemsRun 'chromium --version' or 'chromium-browser --version' from command lineAffected if The version listed is lower than 96.0.4664.45
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Verify Chrome package version on FedoraRun 'dnf list installed google-chrome' or 'rpm -q google-chrome'Affected if The installed package version is lower than 96.0.4664.45-1
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Verify Chrome package version on DebianRun 'dpkg -l google-chrome-stable' or check via package managerAffected if The installed package version is lower than 96.0.4664.45-1
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Confirm referrer policy is in useInspect web application HTTP headers or check page source for 'referrer-policy' meta tag or headerAffected if The site uses referrer policy restrictions that could be bypassed by this flaw
You are affected if Google Chrome or Chromium on your system is version 96.0.4664.45 or lower.
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.
dbcve · scoped96.0.4664.45
Upgrade Google Chrome to version 96.0.4664.45 or later. Apply the latest browser security updates across all affected endpoints.
96.0.4664.45 or later
- Check current Chrome version by navigating to chrome://settings/help
- Update Chrome to version 96.0.4664.45 or later by using the built-in updater or downloading the latest version from https://www.google.com/chrome/
- For Fedora 34, run 'sudo dnf update google-chrome-stable' to apply the patched version
- For Debian 10.0 and 11.0, run 'sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade google-chrome-stable' to apply the patched version
- Restart Chrome after updating to ensure the fix is applied
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in Chrome
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 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 $2,560.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-38021 — 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-2021-38021 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