CVE-2020-16018
📋 TL;DR
This is a use-after-free vulnerability in Google Chrome's payments component that allows a remote attacker who has already compromised the renderer process to potentially escape the browser sandbox. Attackers could execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges on the victim's system. All users running vulnerable versions of Chrome are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- Google Chrome
📦 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
Full system compromise with attacker gaining complete control over the victim's machine, allowing data theft, ransomware deployment, or persistent backdoor installation.
Likely Case
Sandbox escape leading to privilege escalation, enabling attackers to bypass Chrome's security boundaries and execute malicious code with higher privileges.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if sandbox is properly configured and other security controls prevent initial renderer compromise.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires chaining with another vulnerability to first compromise the renderer process.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 87.0.4280.66
Vendor Advisory: https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2020/11/stable-channel-update-for-desktop_17.html
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Open Chrome browser
2. Click the three-dot menu in top-right
3. Go to Help > About Google Chrome
4. Chrome will automatically check for and install updates
5. Click 'Relaunch' to restart Chrome with the update
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable automatic payments
allTemporarily disable Chrome's payment features to reduce attack surface
chrome://settings/content/payments
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Restrict access to untrusted websites
- Use application whitelisting to prevent unauthorized Chrome execution
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Chrome version by navigating to chrome://version and comparing to 87.0.4280.66Check Version:
chrome://versionVerify Fix Applied:
Confirm Chrome version is 87.0.4280.66 or later in chrome://version📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Chrome crash reports with payment-related components
- Unusual process creation from Chrome sandbox
Network Indicators:
- Suspicious payment-related API calls to untrusted domains
SIEM Query:
process_name:"chrome.exe" AND (event_id:1000 OR event_id:1001) AND description:"payments"