CVE-2020-6471 – This vulnerability in Google Chrome's developer... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2020-6471?

CVE-2020-6471 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 tricking users into installing a specially crafted Chrome extension, potentially gaining elevated system access. All Chrome users with affected versions were vulnerable.

📋 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 tricking users into installing a specially crafted Chrome extension, potentially gaining elevated system access. All Chrome users with affected versions were vulnerable.

💻 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: Only affects users who install malicious extensions. Default Chrome installation without malicious extensions is not directly vulnerable.

📦 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

Complete system compromise with attacker gaining full control over the victim's machine through sandbox escape.

🟠

Likely Case

Malicious extension performing unauthorized actions outside browser sandbox, potentially stealing data or installing malware.

🟢

If Mitigated

Limited impact with proper extension vetting and user education about extension sources.

🌐 Internet-Facing: HIGH - Browser vulnerabilities are internet-facing by nature and can be exploited through web content.

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Internal users could be targeted through phishing or compromised internal sites.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: LIKELY

Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No

Complexity: MEDIUM

Requires user interaction to install malicious extension. No public exploit code available but vulnerability is well-documented.

🛠️ 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 check for updates and install automatically 4. Click 'Relaunch' to restart Chrome

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable Developer Tools

all

Prevent exploitation by disabling Chrome Developer Tools

chrome://flags/#enable-devtools-experiments → Disabled
chrome://flags/#enable-devtools-experiments-settings → Disabled

Restrict Extension Installation

windows

Only allow extensions from Chrome Web Store and block user installation

Group Policy: ExtensionInstallWhitelist
ExtensionInstallBlacklist

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Implement strict extension whitelisting policies
Educate users about risks of installing untrusted extensions

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check Chrome version: If version is less than 83.0.4103.61, system is vulnerable.

Check Version:

chrome://version (look for 'Google Chrome' version number)

Verify Fix Applied:

Confirm Chrome version is 83.0.4103.61 or higher after update.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Unusual extension installation events
Chrome crash reports with developer tools context
Security event logs showing privilege escalation

Network Indicators:

Connections to known malicious extension repositories
Unusual outbound traffic from Chrome process

SIEM Query:

source="chrome_logs" AND (event="extension_install" AND extension_source!="chrome_web_store") OR (event="process_creation" AND parent_process="chrome.exe" AND integrity_level="High")

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2020-6471

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/1059577 Exploit,Issue Tracking,Patch,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/1059577 Exploit,Issue Tracking,Patch,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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