CVE-2019-13747 – This vulnerability in Google Chrome for Android... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2019-13747?

CVE-2019-13747 has a CVSS score of 8.8 (HIGH). This vulnerability in Google Chrome for Android allows remote attackers to potentially exploit heap corruption through uninitialized data in rendering. Attackers can trigger this via a crafted HTML page, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution. Users of Chrome on Android prior to version 79.0.3945.79 are affected.

📋 TL;DR

This vulnerability in Google Chrome for Android allows remote attackers to potentially exploit heap corruption through uninitialized data in rendering. Attackers can trigger this via a crafted HTML page, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution. Users of Chrome on Android prior to version 79.0.3945.79 are affected.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Google Chrome for Android

Versions: Versions prior to 79.0.3945.79

Operating Systems: Android

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Only affects Chrome on Android, not desktop versions. All default configurations are vulnerable.

📦 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 device compromise, data theft, or persistent malware installation.

🟠

Likely Case

Browser crash (denial of service) or limited information disclosure from memory corruption.

🟢

If Mitigated

No impact if patched or if exploit attempts are blocked by network security controls.

🌐 Internet-Facing: HIGH - Attackers can exploit via any website or malicious link without user interaction beyond visiting the page.

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Internal users could be targeted via phishing or compromised internal websites.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: UNKNOWN

Unauthenticated Exploit: ⚠️ Yes

Complexity: MEDIUM

Exploitation requires heap corruption techniques which can be complex, but the vulnerability is remotely triggerable without authentication.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: 79.0.3945.79

Vendor Advisory: https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2019/12/stable-channel-update-for-desktop.html

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Open Google Play Store on Android device. 2. Search for 'Chrome'. 3. If update is available, tap 'Update'. 4. Restart Chrome after update completes.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable JavaScript

android

Prevents execution of malicious JavaScript that could trigger the vulnerability

chrome://settings/content/javascript (disable toggle)

Use alternative browser

android

Temporarily switch to a different browser until Chrome is updated

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Block access to untrusted websites using network filtering or proxy rules.
Implement application whitelisting to prevent unauthorized browser execution.

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Open Chrome on Android, go to Settings > About Chrome. Check if version is below 79.0.3945.79.

Check Version:

chrome://version/ in Chrome address bar

Verify Fix Applied:

Confirm Chrome version is 79.0.3945.79 or higher in Settings > About Chrome.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Chrome crash reports
Unexpected process termination logs
Memory access violation events

Network Indicators:

HTTP requests to known exploit hosting domains
Unusual outbound connections after visiting suspicious sites

SIEM Query:

source="chrome_crash_reports" AND (event_type="crash" OR event_type="memory_corruption")

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2019-13747

CVSS v3 Score: 8.8 (HIGH)

CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CWE: CWE-787

Published: December 10, 2019

Last Updated: November 21, 2024

🔗 References

http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2019-12/msg00032.html Mailing List,Third Party Advisory
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2019-12/msg00036.html Mailing List,Third Party Advisory
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2019:4238 Third Party Advisory
https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2019/12/stable-channel-update-for-desktop.html Vendor Advisory
https://crbug.com/1018528 Permissions Required,Vendor Advisory
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/2Z5M4FPUMDNX2LDPHJKN5ZV5GIS2AKNU/
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/N5CIQCVS6E3ULJCNU7YJXJPO2BLQZDTK/
https://seclists.org/bugtraq/2020/Jan/27 Mailing List,Third Party Advisory
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202003-08 Third Party Advisory
https://www.debian.org/security/2020/dsa-4606 Third Party Advisory
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2019-12/msg00032.html Mailing List,Third Party Advisory
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2019-12/msg00036.html Mailing List,Third Party Advisory
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2019:4238 Third Party Advisory
https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2019/12/stable-channel-update-for-desktop.html Vendor Advisory
https://crbug.com/1018528 Permissions Required,Vendor Advisory
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/2Z5M4FPUMDNX2LDPHJKN5ZV5GIS2AKNU/
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/N5CIQCVS6E3ULJCNU7YJXJPO2BLQZDTK/
https://seclists.org/bugtraq/2020/Jan/27 Mailing List,Third Party Advisory
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202003-08 Third Party Advisory
https://www.debian.org/security/2020/dsa-4606 Third Party Advisory

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