CVE-2019-13689
📋 TL;DR
This critical vulnerability in ChromeOS allowed attackers to perform arbitrary read/write operations via malicious files, potentially leading to system compromise. It affected Google Chrome on ChromeOS versions prior to 75.0.3770.80. Users who didn't update their ChromeOS devices were vulnerable to exploitation.
💻 Affected Systems
- Google Chrome on ChromeOS
📦 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
Complete system compromise allowing attacker to read sensitive files, install persistent malware, or modify system files for privilege escalation.
Likely Case
Data theft, installation of malicious software, or system instability from unauthorized file modifications.
If Mitigated
No impact if systems are patched or isolated from untrusted file sources.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires user interaction with malicious files. No public exploit code was released.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 75.0.3770.80 and later
Vendor Advisory: https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2019/06/stable-channel-update-for-chrome-os.html
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Open ChromeOS settings 2. Click 'About Chrome OS' 3. Click 'Check for updates' 4. Install available updates 5. Restart device when prompted
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable automatic file downloads
allConfigure Chrome to ask before downloading files to prevent automatic execution of malicious files
chrome://settings/content/automaticDownloads
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Isolate ChromeOS devices from untrusted networks and file sources
- Implement application whitelisting to prevent execution of unauthorized files
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Chrome version in Settings > About Chrome OS. If version is below 75.0.3770.80, device is vulnerable.Check Version:
chrome://versionVerify Fix Applied:
Confirm Chrome version is 75.0.3770.80 or higher in Settings > About Chrome OS.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unexpected file system modifications
- Chrome crash reports with memory corruption indicators
- Unusual process spawning from Chrome
Network Indicators:
- Downloads of suspicious file types to ChromeOS devices
- Outbound connections from ChromeOS to unknown destinations post-file download
SIEM Query:
source="chromeos" AND (event="file_modification" OR event="chrome_crash") AND version<"75.0.3770.80"