CVE-2020-6418 – This vulnerability is a type confusion flaw in ... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2020-6418?

CVE-2020-6418 has a CVSS score of 8.8 (HIGH). This vulnerability is a type confusion flaw in Chrome's V8 JavaScript engine that allows an attacker to execute arbitrary code or cause heap corruption by tricking the browser into misinterpreting object types. It affects all users running Chrome versions before 80.0.3987.122. Attackers can exploit this by luring victims to malicious websites.

📋 TL;DR

This vulnerability is a type confusion flaw in Chrome's V8 JavaScript engine that allows an attacker to execute arbitrary code or cause heap corruption by tricking the browser into misinterpreting object types. It affects all users running Chrome versions before 80.0.3987.122. Attackers can exploit this by luring victims to malicious websites.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Google Chrome
Chromium-based browsers
Microsoft Edge (Chromium-based)
Opera
Brave

Versions: All versions prior to 80.0.3987.122

Operating Systems: Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, Chrome OS

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: All default Chrome configurations are vulnerable. Extensions or security settings don't mitigate this vulnerability.

📦 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 compromise allowing session hijacking, credential theft, or installation of malware.

🟢

If Mitigated

Limited impact if browser sandboxing works properly, potentially just browser crash.

🌐 Internet-Facing: HIGH - Exploitable via visiting malicious websites without user interaction beyond browsing.

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Requires user to visit compromised internal sites or phishing pages.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ⚠️ Yes

Weaponized: LIKELY

Unauthenticated Exploit: ⚠️ Yes

Complexity: MEDIUM

Exploit code is publicly available on Packet Storm. The vulnerability requires JavaScript execution but no authentication.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: 80.0.3987.122 and later

Vendor Advisory: https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2020/02/stable-channel-update-for-desktop_24.html

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Open Chrome menu > Help > About Google Chrome. 2. Chrome will automatically check for updates. 3. If update available, click 'Update Google Chrome'. 4. Click 'Relaunch' to restart Chrome with the patched version.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable JavaScript

all

Prevents exploitation by blocking JavaScript execution, but breaks most websites.

chrome://settings/content/javascript > Block

Use Site Isolation

all

Enables Chrome's Site Isolation feature to limit impact of renderer compromise.

chrome://flags/#enable-site-per-process > Enable

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Use alternative browsers without the vulnerable V8 version
Implement network filtering to block known malicious domains and restrict web browsing

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check Chrome version: If version is less than 80.0.3987.122, system is vulnerable.

Check Version:

google-chrome --version (Linux) or chrome://version (all platforms)

Verify Fix Applied:

Confirm Chrome version is 80.0.3987.122 or higher after update.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Chrome crash reports with V8-related errors
Unexpected Chrome process termination

Network Indicators:

Connections to suspicious domains followed by unusual outbound traffic

SIEM Query:

source="chrome" AND (event="crash" OR error="V8") AND version<"80.0.3987.122"

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2020-6418

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-843

Published: February 27, 2020

Last Updated: October 24, 2025

🔗 References

http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/156632/Google-Chrome-80-JSCreate-Side-Effect-Type-Confusion.html Exploit,Third Party Advisory,VDB Entry
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2020:0738 Third Party Advisory
https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2020/02/stable-channel-update-for-desktop_24.html Release Notes,Vendor Advisory
https://crbug.com/1053604 Exploit,Issue Tracking,Patch,Vendor Advisory
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/6IOHSO6BUKC6I66J5PZOMAGFVJ66ZS57/ Release Notes
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/X3B5RWJQD5LA45MYLLR55KZJOJ5NVZGP/ Release Notes
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202003-08 Third Party Advisory
https://www.debian.org/security/2020/dsa-4638 Mailing List,Third Party Advisory
http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/156632/Google-Chrome-80-JSCreate-Side-Effect-Type-Confusion.html Exploit,Third Party Advisory,VDB Entry
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2020:0738 Third Party Advisory
https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2020/02/stable-channel-update-for-desktop_24.html Release Notes,Vendor Advisory
https://crbug.com/1053604 Exploit,Issue Tracking,Patch,Vendor Advisory
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/6IOHSO6BUKC6I66J5PZOMAGFVJ66ZS57/ Release Notes
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/X3B5RWJQD5LA45MYLLR55KZJOJ5NVZGP/ Release Notes
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202003-08 Third Party Advisory
https://www.debian.org/security/2020/dsa-4638 Mailing List,Third Party Advisory
https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2020-6418 US Government Resource

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🔗 Related Vulnerabilities

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