Cloudanix VulnDB

CVE-2016-1586

High · 7.5

CVSS

7.5

EPSS

0.7%

Published

Apr 22, 2019

CISA due date

—

Cloudanix analysis

Next patch cycle SSVC: Track

A flaw in an older web browsing component could let a malicious webpage interfere with private browsing sessions, potentially changing how the browser behaves.

Exploitation
Remote Unauthenticated
Attacker needs
None
Complexity
Low
Impact
Data Tampering
Component
Application
Class
Improper Input Validation
Remediation
Upgrade
Effort
Medium
Patch risk
Low

What it actually does

A malicious webview can register persistent unload handlers that retain references to an incognito BrowserContext already scheduled for destruction, enabling reuse of a freed or invalid context.

Why it matters to the business

Attackers can corrupt browser state or force unintended behavior in applications embedding the affected webview component, potentially leading to integrity violations without requiring user interaction.

How an attack unfolds

An attacker supplies a crafted web page or content to the vulnerable webview; the page installs unload handlers that keep the incognito context alive past its destruction point, allowing subsequent reuse of the invalid context to alter browser behavior.

How to fix it

Upgrade Oxide to version 1.18.3 or later. Applications embedding Oxide should rebuild against the fixed library and verify no downstream components retain older versions.

How to confirm the fix worked

Confirm the running Oxide library version is 1.18.3 or newer via package manager or build metadata; test webview behavior with crafted unload scenarios to ensure incognito contexts are properly isolated and destroyed.

Typical attack path

  1. Deliver malicious content to an application using the vulnerable Oxide webview
  2. Trigger navigation or page unload to install long-lived handlers
  3. Reuse the queued-for-destruction incognito BrowserContext
  4. Achieve integrity impact through context reuse

How to detect it

Review application logs for unexpected webview context reuse or errors during incognito session teardown; examine crash reports or memory dumps for references to freed BrowserContext objects after page unload events.

What your security team should do

  • Identify all products and deployments using Oxide before 1.18.3
  • Prioritize upgrade to 1.18.3+ in affected webview-dependent applications
  • Monitor for any downstream dependents still shipping older Oxide versions
  • Review application code that creates or manages incognito contexts for safe destruction patterns

The record

A malicious webview could install long-lived unload handlers that re-use an incognito BrowserContext that is queued for destruction in versions of Oxide before 1.18.3.

Affected packages

Ecosystem Package Introduced Fixed
Ubuntu:14.04:LTS oxide-qt 0 1.18.3-0ubuntu0.14.04.1
Ubuntu:16.04:LTS oxide-qt 0 1.18.3-0ubuntu0.16.04.1

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