PatchSiren

PatchSiren cyber security CVE debrief

CVE-2016-5209 Google CVE debrief

CVE-2016-5209 is a Google Chrome Blink issue caused by bad casting in bitmap manipulation. According to the CVE description, a remote attacker could potentially trigger heap corruption by getting a victim to open a crafted HTML page. NVD rates the issue 8.8 HIGH and maps it to CWE-787 (out-of-bounds write). The source corpus also points to Google’s stable-channel Chrome update and downstream distro advisories as the remediation path.

Vendor
Google
Product
CVE-2016-5209
CVSS
HIGH 8.8
CISA KEV
Not listed in stored evidence
Original CVE published
2017-01-19
Original CVE updated
2026-05-13
Advisory published
2017-01-19
Advisory updated
2026-05-13

Who should care

Anyone running Google Chrome on desktop or Android prior to the fixed releases should treat this as important, especially enterprise IT, browser fleet managers, and users who routinely browse untrusted web content.

Technical summary

The vulnerability is described as bad casting in bitmap manipulation within Blink, Chrome’s rendering engine. A crafted HTML page could exercise the flaw and cause heap corruption. NVD associates the issue with CWE-787 and lists Chrome versions up to 54.0.2840.99 as vulnerable in its CPE data, while the Google Chrome release note referenced in the source corpus identifies fixed builds as 55.0.2883.75 for Mac/Windows/Linux and 55.0.2883.84 for Android.

Defensive priority

High. The issue is remotely triggerable through web content, requires no privileges, and impacts a widely used browser engine. Prioritize patching managed Chrome installations and any Android deployments that lag behind the fixed release line.

Recommended defensive actions

  • Update Google Chrome to a fixed release or newer on all desktop platforms and Android.
  • Verify managed endpoint compliance with the patched Chrome versions referenced in the vendor advisory.
  • Treat untrusted HTML and browser exposure as a high-risk attack surface until updates are confirmed.
  • If you maintain downstream packages, confirm your distribution’s Chrome/Chromium build includes the upstream fix.
  • Use the referenced vendor and distro advisories to validate remediation status in your environment.

Evidence notes

This debrief is based only on the supplied NVD record and the official references listed there. The primary facts used are: the Chrome Blink bitmap-manipulation flaw, potential heap corruption from a crafted HTML page, CVSS 3.0 vector AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H, and CWE-787. Remediation timing and fixed-version details come from the Google Chrome stable-channel update referenced in NVD. The NVD CPE range and the advisory text do not present identical version boundaries, so version-specific guidance should be validated against the vendor advisory before operational use.

Official resources

CVE published by NVD/CVE on 2017-01-19. The source corpus ties the issue to Google’s December 2016 Chrome stable-channel update; NVD was modified on 2026-05-13. These dates reflect publication and record updates, not the vulnerability’s own