CVE-2020-15987
📋 TL;DR
This is a use-after-free vulnerability in WebRTC component of Google Chrome that could allow a remote attacker to trigger heap corruption via a crafted WebRTC stream. Attackers could potentially execute arbitrary code or cause browser crashes. All Chrome users prior to version 86.0.4240.75 are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- Google Chrome
- Chromium-based browsers
📦 What is this software?
Backports Sle by Opensuse
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...
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⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Remote code execution leading to full system compromise, data theft, or malware installation.
Likely Case
Browser crash (denial of service) or limited memory corruption leading to instability.
If Mitigated
No impact if Chrome is updated to patched version or WebRTC is disabled.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires user to visit malicious website or interact with crafted WebRTC stream. No public exploit code known.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 86.0.4240.75 and later
Vendor Advisory: https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2020/10/stable-channel-update-for-desktop.html
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Open Chrome menu > Help > About Google Chrome. 2. Chrome will automatically check for updates and install version 86.0.4240.75 or later. 3. Click 'Relaunch' to restart Chrome with the update.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable WebRTC
allDisable WebRTC functionality to prevent exploitation via crafted streams
chrome://flags/#disable-webrtc
Set 'WebRTC' flag to 'Disabled'
Use Chrome Enterprise policies
allConfigure Chrome via Group Policy or MDM to disable WebRTC
Set 'DefaultWebRtcSetting' policy to 2 (disable)
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Deploy network filtering to block malicious WebRTC streams
- Use application control to restrict Chrome usage to trusted websites only
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Chrome version via chrome://version or 'About Google Chrome' - if version is below 86.0.4240.75, system is vulnerable.Check Version:
chrome://version (in Chrome address bar) or 'google-chrome --version' (command line)Verify Fix Applied:
Confirm Chrome version is 86.0.4240.75 or higher in chrome://version.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Chrome crash reports with WebRTC-related stack traces
- Unexpected Chrome process terminations
Network Indicators:
- Unusual WebRTC traffic patterns
- Suspicious WebRTC stream connections
SIEM Query:
source="chrome" AND (event="crash" OR event="exception") AND process="chrome" AND module="webrtc"🔗 References
- http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-11/msg00016.html
- https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2020/10/stable-channel-update-for-desktop.html
- https://crbug.com/1127774
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/24QFL4C3AZKMFVL7LVSYMU2DNE5VVUGS/
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/4GWCWNHTTYOH6HSFUXPGPBB6J6JYZHZE/
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/SC3U3H6AISVZB5PLZLLNF4HMQ4UFFL7M/
- https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202101-30
- https://www.debian.org/security/2021/dsa-4824
- http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-11/msg00016.html
- https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2020/10/stable-channel-update-for-desktop.html
- https://crbug.com/1127774
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/24QFL4C3AZKMFVL7LVSYMU2DNE5VVUGS/
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/4GWCWNHTTYOH6HSFUXPGPBB6J6JYZHZE/
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/SC3U3H6AISVZB5PLZLLNF4HMQ4UFFL7M/
- https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202101-30
- https://www.debian.org/security/2021/dsa-4824
