CVE-2020-6469 – This vulnerability in Google Chrome's developer... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2020-6469?

CVE-2020-6469 has a CVSS score of 9.6 (CRITICAL). This vulnerability in Google Chrome's developer tools allowed malicious extensions to escape the browser's security sandbox. Attackers could exploit this by convincing users to install a malicious extension, potentially gaining elevated system access. Users of Chrome versions before 83.0.4103.61 were affected.

📋 TL;DR

This vulnerability in Google Chrome's developer tools allowed malicious extensions to escape the browser's security sandbox. Attackers could exploit this by convincing users to install a malicious extension, potentially gaining elevated system access. Users of Chrome versions before 83.0.4103.61 were affected.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Google Chrome

Versions: All versions prior to 83.0.4103.61

Operating Systems: Windows, Linux, macOS, Chrome OS

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Requires user to install a malicious extension; default Chrome installations are vulnerable if extension installation occurs.

📦 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

Full system compromise via sandbox escape, allowing attackers to execute arbitrary code with system-level privileges, access sensitive data, and persist on the system.

🟠

Likely Case

Malicious extension escapes Chrome sandbox to perform unauthorized actions on the host system, potentially installing malware, stealing credentials, or accessing local files.

🟢

If Mitigated

With proper extension vetting and user education, impact is limited to isolated browser compromise without system-level access.

🌐 Internet-Facing: MEDIUM

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: UNKNOWN

Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No

Complexity: MEDIUM

Exploitation requires social engineering to install malicious extension; 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 settings 2. Click 'About Chrome' 3. Allow Chrome to update automatically 4. Restart Chrome when prompted

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable Developer Mode Extensions

all

Prevents loading of unpacked extensions which could be malicious

chrome://extensions/ -> Disable 'Developer mode' toggle

Restrict Extension Installation

all

Only allow extensions from Chrome Web Store via enterprise policy

Set ExtensionInstallSources policy to restrict sources

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Disable all non-essential extensions
Implement application whitelisting to prevent malicious extension execution

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check Chrome version in settings; if version is below 83.0.4103.61, system is vulnerable

Check Version:

chrome://version/

Verify Fix Applied:

Confirm Chrome version is 83.0.4103.61 or higher in settings

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Unusual extension installation events
Chrome crash reports with developer tools context
Extension permission escalation attempts

Network Indicators:

Downloads from untrusted extension sources
Communication between Chrome and unusual external domains after extension installation

SIEM Query:

source="chrome_extension_logs" AND (event="extension_install" AND source NOT IN ("chrome_web_store"))

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2020-6469

CVSS v3 Score: 9.6 (CRITICAL)

CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H

CWE: CWE-276

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/1067382 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://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/1067382 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://www.debian.org/security/2020/dsa-4714 Third Party Advisory

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