CVE-2020-15993
📋 TL;DR
This is a use-after-free vulnerability in Chrome's printing component that allows remote attackers to potentially exploit heap corruption. Attackers can trigger this by tricking users into visiting a malicious HTML page. All Chrome users on versions prior to 86.0.4240.99 are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- Google Chrome
- Chromium-based browsers
📦 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 full system compromise, data theft, or ransomware deployment.
Likely Case
Browser crash (denial of service) or limited code execution within Chrome's sandbox.
If Mitigated
No impact if Chrome is fully patched or if exploit attempts are blocked by security controls.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploit requires user interaction (visiting malicious page). The bug report (crbug.com/1133983) contains technical details that could aid exploitation.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 86.0.4240.99 and later
Vendor Advisory: https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2020/10/chrome-for-android-update_31.html
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Open Chrome. 2. Click menu (three dots) > Help > About Google Chrome. 3. Chrome will automatically check for and install updates. 4. Click 'Relaunch' to restart Chrome with the update.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable JavaScript
allPrevents malicious HTML from executing JavaScript that could trigger the vulnerability.
Use browser extensions to block scripts
allExtensions like NoScript or uBlock Origin can block malicious scripts.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Restrict access to untrusted websites using web filtering or proxy policies.
- Implement application whitelisting to prevent unauthorized code execution if exploitation occurs.
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Chrome version: if below 86.0.4240.99, you are vulnerable.Check Version:
On Chrome: chrome://version/ or in terminal: google-chrome --versionVerify Fix Applied:
Confirm Chrome version is 86.0.4240.99 or higher after update.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Chrome crash logs with printing-related stack traces
- Unexpected Chrome process termination
Network Indicators:
- HTTP requests to suspicious domains hosting HTML pages
- Unusual printing-related network activity
SIEM Query:
source="chrome_logs" AND (event="crash" OR event="process_termination") AND message="printing"