CVE-2016-5178 – Multiple unspecified vulnerabilities in Google ... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2016-5178?

CVE-2016-5178 has a CVSS score of 9.8 (CRITICAL). Multiple unspecified vulnerabilities in Google Chrome before version 53.0.2785.143 allow remote attackers to cause denial of service or potentially execute arbitrary code via unknown vectors. This affects all users running vulnerable Chrome versions on any operating system.

📋 TL;DR

Multiple unspecified vulnerabilities in Google Chrome before version 53.0.2785.143 allow remote attackers to cause denial of service or potentially execute arbitrary code via unknown vectors. This affects all users running vulnerable Chrome versions on any operating system.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Google Chrome

Versions: All versions before 53.0.2785.143

Operating Systems: Windows, macOS, Linux, Chrome OS

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: All standard Chrome installations are vulnerable. Extensions or security settings don't mitigate this.

📦 What is this software?

Chrome by Google

Google Chrome is the world's most popular web browser, used by over 3 billion users globally across Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS platforms. As a Chromium-based browser developed by Google, Chrome dominates the browser market with approximately 65% market share, making it a critical compon...

Learn more about Chrome →

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Remote code execution leading to complete system compromise, data theft, or ransomware deployment.

🟠

Likely Case

Denial of service (browser crash) or limited code execution within browser sandbox.

🟢

If Mitigated

Minimal impact if Chrome sandboxing works as designed, potentially just browser instability.

🌐 Internet-Facing: HIGH - Browser directly interacts with untrusted web content.

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Internal web applications could still trigger the vulnerability.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: UNKNOWN

Unauthenticated Exploit: ⚠️ Yes

Complexity: LOW

Vectors unspecified in CVE, but CVSS 9.8 suggests trivial exploitation. No public exploit code found in references.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: 53.0.2785.143

Vendor Advisory: https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2016/09/stable-channel-update-for-desktop_21.html

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Open Chrome. 2. Click menu (three dots) > Help > About Google Chrome. 3. Chrome will automatically check for and install update. 4. Click 'Relaunch' to restart Chrome.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable JavaScript

all

Temporarily disable JavaScript to prevent exploitation vectors.

chrome://settings/content/javascript

Use alternative browser

all

Switch to updated browser until Chrome is patched.

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Restrict web browsing to trusted sites only using Chrome policies.
Deploy application whitelisting to prevent unauthorized Chrome execution.

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check Chrome version in menu > Help > About Google Chrome. If version is below 53.0.2785.143, you're vulnerable.

Check Version:

On Windows: "C:\Program Files\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe" --version
On Linux: google-chrome --version
On macOS: /Applications/Google\ Chrome.app/Contents/MacOS/Google\ Chrome --version

Verify Fix Applied:

Confirm Chrome version is 53.0.2785.143 or higher after update.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Chrome crash reports
Unexpected process termination logs
Sandbox escape attempts in system logs

Network Indicators:

Unusual outbound connections from Chrome process
Traffic to known malicious domains

SIEM Query:

process_name:"chrome.exe" AND (event_id:1000 OR event_id:1001) OR process_name:"chrome" AND signal:SIGSEGV

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2016-5178

CVSS v3 Score: 9.8 (CRITICAL)

CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CWE: CWE-20

Published: May 23, 2017

Last Updated: April 20, 2025

🔗 References

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🔗 Related Vulnerabilities

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