CVE-2020-16007
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability in Google Chrome's installer allows a local attacker to potentially elevate privileges by exploiting insufficient data validation when handling crafted filesystem paths. It affects Chrome users on Windows systems prior to version 86.0.4240.183. An attacker with local access could execute arbitrary code with higher privileges than intended.
💻 Affected Systems
- Google Chrome
📦 What is this software?
Backports Sle by Opensuse
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...
Learn more about Chrome →Leap by Opensuse
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⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Local attacker gains SYSTEM/administrator privileges, enabling complete system compromise, data theft, persistence mechanisms, and lateral movement.
Likely Case
Local attacker elevates from standard user to administrator privileges, allowing installation of malware, modification of system settings, or access to protected resources.
If Mitigated
With proper user account controls and least privilege principles, impact is limited to the user's own context with no privilege escalation.
🎯 Exploit Status
Requires local access and knowledge of filesystem manipulation. No public exploit code has been released, but the vulnerability is well-documented in the Chromium bug tracker.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 86.0.4240.183
Vendor Advisory: https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2020/11/stable-channel-update-for-desktop.html
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Open Chrome and click the three-dot menu. 2. Go to Help > About Google Chrome. 3. Chrome will automatically check for updates and install version 86.0.4240.183 or later. 4. Click 'Relaunch' to restart Chrome with the update.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Chrome auto-updates temporarily
windowsPrevents Chrome from automatically updating while you prepare for manual update, though this is not recommended long-term.
Windows: Use Group Policy or registry to disable auto-update
Run Chrome with limited privileges
allRun Chrome as a standard user without administrative rights to limit potential impact.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict user account control policies to limit standard user privileges
- Monitor for unusual process creation or privilege escalation attempts using endpoint detection tools
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Chrome version: Open Chrome, go to Help > About Google Chrome. If version is below 86.0.4240.183, you are vulnerable.Check Version:
Windows: "C:\Program Files (x86)\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe" --versionVerify Fix Applied:
Confirm Chrome version is 86.0.4240.183 or higher in About Google Chrome page.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Windows Event Logs showing Chrome installer processes with unusual parameters
- Unexpected privilege escalation events from chrome.exe or chrome_installer.exe
Network Indicators:
- Not applicable - local attack only
SIEM Query:
Process creation where (parent_process contains 'chrome' OR image contains 'chrome_installer') AND (integrity_level changes OR token_elevation_type changes)🔗 References
- http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-11/msg00016.html
- http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-11/msg00017.html
- https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2020/11/stable-channel-update-for-desktop.html
- https://crbug.com/1125018
- https://www.debian.org/security/2021/dsa-4824
- http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-11/msg00016.html
- http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-11/msg00017.html
- https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2020/11/stable-channel-update-for-desktop.html
- https://crbug.com/1125018
- https://www.debian.org/security/2021/dsa-4824
