CVE-2020-6512 – This vulnerability is a type confusion flaw in ... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2020-6512?

CVE-2020-6512 has a CVSS score of 8.8 (HIGH). This vulnerability is a type confusion flaw in Chrome's V8 JavaScript engine that allows a remote attacker to potentially exploit heap corruption via a crafted HTML page. Attackers could execute arbitrary code or cause denial of service. All users running vulnerable Chrome versions are affected.

📋 TL;DR

This vulnerability is a type confusion flaw in Chrome's V8 JavaScript engine that allows a remote attacker to potentially exploit heap corruption via a crafted HTML page. Attackers could execute arbitrary code or cause denial of service. All users running vulnerable Chrome versions are affected.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Google Chrome
Chromium-based browsers

Versions: Versions prior to 84.0.4147.89

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

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: All default configurations are vulnerable. Affects both desktop and mobile versions.

📦 What is this software?

Backports Sle by Opensuse

View all CVEs affecting Backports Sle →

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 with the same privileges as the Chrome process, potentially leading to full system compromise if combined with privilege escalation.

🟠

Likely Case

Browser crash/denial of service or limited code execution within the browser sandbox.

🟢

If Mitigated

No impact if Chrome is fully patched or if exploit attempts are blocked by security controls.

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

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

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ⚠️ Yes

Weaponized: LIKELY

Unauthenticated Exploit: ⚠️ Yes

Complexity: MEDIUM

Type confusion vulnerabilities in V8 are frequently exploited in the wild. The CVSS score suggests high exploitability.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: 84.0.4147.89 and later

Vendor Advisory: https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2020/07/stable-channel-update-for-desktop.html

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Open Chrome. 2. Click the three-dot menu → Help → About Google Chrome. 3. Chrome will automatically check for and install updates. 4. Click 'Relaunch' to restart Chrome with the update.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable JavaScript

all

Temporarily disable JavaScript execution in Chrome to block exploitation vectors.

chrome://settings/content/javascript → Toggle to 'Blocked'

Use Site Isolation

all

Enable Site Isolation to limit impact of renderer process compromises.

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

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Use alternative browsers until Chrome can be updated.
Implement network filtering to block known malicious sites and JavaScript payloads.

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check Chrome version: If version is below 84.0.4147.89, system is vulnerable.

Check Version:

On Chrome: chrome://version/ or 'google-chrome --version' in terminal

Verify Fix Applied:

Confirm Chrome version is 84.0.4147.89 or higher after update.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Chrome crash reports with V8-related errors
Unexpected renderer process terminations

Network Indicators:

Requests to suspicious domains with crafted JavaScript payloads

SIEM Query:

source="chrome_crash_logs" AND ("V8" OR "type confusion" OR "heap corruption")

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2020-6512

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-787

Published: July 22, 2020

Last Updated: November 21, 2024

🔗 References

http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-07/msg00069.html Mailing List,Third Party Advisory
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-08/msg00007.html Third Party Advisory
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-08/msg00018.html Third Party Advisory
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-09/msg00041.html Third Party Advisory
https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2020/07/stable-channel-update-for-desktop.html Release Notes,Vendor Advisory
https://crbug.com/1084820 Permissions Required,Vendor Advisory
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/MTRPPTKZ2RKVH2XGQCWNFZ7FOGQ5LLCA/
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/MYIDWCHG24ZTFD4P42D4A4WWPPA74BCG/
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202007-08 Third Party Advisory
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202101-30 Third Party Advisory
https://www.debian.org/security/2021/dsa-4824 Third Party Advisory
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-07/msg00069.html Mailing List,Third Party Advisory
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-08/msg00007.html Third Party Advisory
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-08/msg00018.html Third Party Advisory
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-09/msg00041.html Third Party Advisory
https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2020/07/stable-channel-update-for-desktop.html Release Notes,Vendor Advisory
https://crbug.com/1084820 Permissions Required,Vendor Advisory
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/MTRPPTKZ2RKVH2XGQCWNFZ7FOGQ5LLCA/
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/MYIDWCHG24ZTFD4P42D4A4WWPPA74BCG/
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202007-08 Third Party Advisory
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202101-30 Third Party Advisory
https://www.debian.org/security/2021/dsa-4824 Third Party Advisory

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