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ChromeWeb browser · Google

CVE-2023-5479

MEDIUM · 6.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-10-11
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 118.0.5993.70 or later.
See remediation →
72/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
Inappropriate implementation in Extensions API in Google Chrome prior to 118.0.5993.70 allowed an attacker who convinced a user to install a malicious extension to bypass an enterprise policy via a crafted HTML page. (Chromium security severity: Medium)

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

A vulnerability in the Chrome Extensions API prior to version 118.0.5993.70 allows a malicious extension installed by the user to bypass enterprise policy restrictions through a crafted HTML page. This enables circumvention of organizational security controls that depend on enterprise policies.

MitigationUpdate Chrome browsers to version 118.0.5993.70 or later to obtain the patch. Verify that enterprise policies are being enforced correctly post-update.

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:< 118.0.5993.70
Debian LinuxOperating system
Affected:= 11.0= 12.0

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
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 checks

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

  1. Determine installed Chrome version
    Open chrome://version in the Chrome browser address bar, or run 'google-chrome --version' from the command line, or check the installed package version via system package manager (dpkg -l google-chrome-stable or rpm -q google-chrome-stable)
    Affected if The reported version is earlier than 118.0.5993.70
  2. Verify Chrome policy status
    Navigate to chrome://policy in the Chrome browser to view currently active enterprise policies. Check if policies are listed as 'Error' or 'Not configured' when they should be enforced
    Affected if Enterprise policies that should be active are missing, show as not enforced, or display an error status indicating they were bypassed
  3. Check for policy configuration files
    On Linux, inspect /etc/opt/chrome/policies/managed/ and /etc/opt/chrome/policies/recommended/ directories for JSON policy files. On Windows, check registry keys under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Chrome
    Affected if Policy files or registry keys exist but do not appear to be taking effect in the browser, suggesting a bypass has occurred
  4. Review extension permissions
    In Chrome, navigate to chrome://extensions, enable Developer mode, and review installed extensions for unusual permissions or those that have access to enterprise policy-related APIs
    Affected if A user-installed extension has permissions that should be blocked by enterprise policy but is still active

You are affected if your Chrome version is below 118.0.5993.70 AND enterprise policies that should be enforced are not functioning correctly.

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 118.0.5993.70 or later
Fixed in 118.0.5993.70
Interim mitigation

Update Chrome browsers to version 118.0.5993.70 or later to obtain the patch. Verify that enterprise policies are being enforced correctly post-update.

Recommended fix High confidence

Chrome 118.0.5993.70 or later

  1. Update Google Chrome to version 118.0.5993.70 or later by navigating to chrome://settings/help and clicking 'Update Google Chrome'
  2. For Debian Linux systems, run 'apt update' followed by 'apt upgrade' to install security updates for chromium or chrome-browser packages
  3. Restart the browser after updating to apply the fix
  4. Verify the installed version by navigating to chrome://version and confirm it shows 118.0.5993.70 or higher

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

Fix this in Chrome Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,490
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,984.

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-2023-5479 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