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ChromeWeb browser · Google

CVE-2023-5996

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-11-08
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 119.0.6045.123 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
Use after free in WebAudio in Google Chrome prior to 119.0.6045.123 allowed a remote attacker to potentially exploit heap corruption via a crafted HTML page. (Chromium security severity: High)

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 use-after-free vulnerability exists in the WebAudio component of Google Chrome versions prior to 119.0.6045.123. An attacker can exploit this by tricking a user into visiting a crafted HTML page, potentially causing heap corruption and allowing arbitrary code execution.

MitigationUpdate Google Chrome to version 119.0.6045.123 or later to patch the vulnerability. Organizations should ensure automated browser update mechanisms are enabled or deploy the patched version through their patch management infrastructure.

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:< 119.0.6045.123
Debian LinuxOperating system
Affected:= 11.0= 12.0
FedoraOperating system
Affected:= 38= 39

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 installed Google Chrome version
    Navigate to chrome://version in the browser or run 'google-chrome --version' (Linux) or check 'C:\Program Files\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe' properties (Windows)
    Affected if The version listed is lower than 119.0.6045.123
  2. Check Chrome package version on Debian
    Run 'dpkg -l | grep google-chrome' or 'apt list --installed | grep chrome'
    Affected if The installed package version is lower than 119.0.6045.123-1
  3. Check Chrome package version on Fedora
    Run 'dnf list installed google-chrome-stable' or 'rpm -qa | grep chrome'
    Affected if The installed package version is lower than 119.0.6045.123-1
  4. Confirm WebAudio is in use
    This vulnerability is in the WebAudio component which is enabled by default in Chrome; no manual configuration check needed - the flaw exists if the browser processes WebAudio content
    Affected if The browser runs any WebAudio-enabled content (common in modern web pages and media)

A user is affected if their Google Chrome version is any version prior to 119.0.6045.123, regardless of configuration, since the vulnerable WebAudio component is enabled by default.

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 119.0.6045.123 or later
Fixed in 119.0.6045.123
Interim mitigation

Update Google Chrome to version 119.0.6045.123 or later to patch the vulnerability. Organizations should ensure automated browser update mechanisms are enabled or deploy the patched version through their patch management infrastructure.

Recommended fix High confidence

Chrome 119.0.6045.123 or later (or Chromium package version providing this security fix for Debian/Fedora)

  1. Check current Chrome version by navigating to chrome://settings/help
  2. For Linux systems (Debian/Fedora), update the Chromium/Chrome package via system package manager: 'sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade' (Debian) or 'sudo dnf update' (Federa)
  3. Restart Chrome browser after update completes
  4. Verify the version is now 119.0.6045.123 or later via chrome://settings/help
Caveat Chrome updates typically do not introduce breaking changes for end users; minor UI changes may occur

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

Fix this in Chrome Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,040
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,664.

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-2023-5996 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