CVE-2020-6467 – This is a use-after-free vulnerability in Chrom... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2020-6467?

CVE-2020-6467 has a CVSS score of 8.8 (HIGH). This is a use-after-free vulnerability in Chrome's WebRTC component that allows remote attackers to potentially exploit heap corruption. Attackers can trigger this by tricking users into visiting a malicious HTML page, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution. All Chrome users prior to version 83.0.4103.61 are affected.

📋 TL;DR

This is a use-after-free vulnerability in Chrome's WebRTC component that allows remote attackers to potentially exploit heap corruption. Attackers can trigger this by tricking users into visiting a malicious HTML page, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution. All Chrome users prior to version 83.0.4103.61 are affected.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Google Chrome
Chromium-based browsers

Versions: All versions prior to 83.0.4103.61

Operating Systems: Windows, Linux, macOS, Android, iOS

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: All default Chrome configurations are vulnerable. WebRTC is enabled by default.

📦 What is this software?

Backports Sle by Opensuse

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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 with the same privileges as the Chrome process, potentially leading to full system compromise.

🟠

Likely Case

Browser crash or denial of service, with potential for limited code execution in sandboxed context.

🟢

If Mitigated

Browser crash without code execution if sandboxing holds, minimal impact beyond session loss.

🌐 Internet-Facing: HIGH - Attackers can exploit via malicious websites without user interaction beyond visiting the page.

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Requires user to visit attacker-controlled content, but internal phishing could facilitate exploitation.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: UNKNOWN

Unauthenticated Exploit: ⚠️ Yes

Complexity: MEDIUM

Exploitation requires heap manipulation knowledge but no authentication. No public exploit code available.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: 83.0.4103.61 and later

Vendor Advisory: https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2020/05/stable-channel-update-for-desktop_19.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

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable WebRTC

all

Disable WebRTC functionality to prevent exploitation of this vulnerability

chrome://flags/#disable-webrtc
Set 'WebRTC' flag to 'Disabled'

Use Chrome Enterprise policies

all

Deploy Chrome Enterprise policies to disable WebRTC or enforce updates

Configure 'WebRtcUdpPortRange' policy to '1-1' to disable
Enable 'AutoUpdateCheckPeriodMinutes' policy

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Use alternative browser without WebRTC vulnerabilities
Implement network filtering to block malicious websites and reduce attack surface

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check Chrome version: if below 83.0.4103.61, system is vulnerable

Check Version:

chrome://version/ or 'google-chrome --version' on Linux

Verify Fix Applied:

Confirm Chrome version is 83.0.4103.61 or higher

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Chrome crash logs with WebRTC-related stack traces
Unexpected Chrome process termination

Network Indicators:

Unusual WebRTC connection attempts to external IPs
Suspicious WebRTC data channels

SIEM Query:

source="chrome_logs" AND (event="crash" OR event="process_termination") AND process_name="chrome.exe" AND message="*WebRTC*"

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2020-6467

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-416

Published: May 21, 2020

Last Updated: November 21, 2024

🔗 References

http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-06/msg00034.html Mailing List,Third Party Advisory
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-06/msg00038.html Mailing List,Third Party Advisory
https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2020/05/stable-channel-update-for-desktop_19.html Release Notes,Vendor Advisory
https://crbug.com/1068084 Permissions Required,Vendor Advisory
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/OQYH5OK7O4BU6E37WWG5SEEHV65BFSGR/
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/WLFZ5N4EK6I4ZJP5YSKLLVN3ELXEB4XT/
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202006-02 Third Party Advisory
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202101-30 Third Party Advisory
https://www.debian.org/security/2020/dsa-4714 Third Party Advisory
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-06/msg00034.html Mailing List,Third Party Advisory
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-06/msg00038.html Mailing List,Third Party Advisory
https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2020/05/stable-channel-update-for-desktop_19.html Release Notes,Vendor Advisory
https://crbug.com/1068084 Permissions Required,Vendor Advisory
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/OQYH5OK7O4BU6E37WWG5SEEHV65BFSGR/
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/WLFZ5N4EK6I4ZJP5YSKLLVN3ELXEB4XT/
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202006-02 Third Party Advisory
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202101-30 Third Party Advisory
https://www.debian.org/security/2020/dsa-4714 Third Party Advisory

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