CVE-2020-6520
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability is a buffer overflow in Skia, Chrome's graphics engine, that allows remote attackers to potentially exploit heap corruption via a crafted HTML page. It affects Google Chrome users running versions prior to 84.0.4147.89. Successful exploitation could lead to arbitrary code execution.
💻 Affected Systems
- Google Chrome
- Chromium-based browsers
📦 What is this software?
Backports Sle by Opensuse
Backports Sle by Opensuse
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 →Fedora by Fedoraproject
Fedora by Fedoraproject
Leap by Opensuse
Leap by Opensuse
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Remote code execution with the same privileges as the Chrome process, potentially leading to full system compromise if Chrome is running with elevated privileges.
Likely Case
Browser crash (denial of service) or limited code execution within Chrome's sandbox, potentially allowing data theft or further exploitation.
If Mitigated
Browser crash with no further impact if sandboxing works correctly, though sandbox escapes are possible with additional vulnerabilities.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires user interaction (visiting a malicious webpage). No public proof-of-concept has been released, but the vulnerability is actively patched.
🛠️ 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 updates and install version 84.0.4147.89 or later. 4. Click 'Relaunch' to restart Chrome.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable JavaScript
allPrevents execution of malicious JavaScript that could trigger the vulnerability
Use browser extensions to block malicious sites
allReduces exposure to malicious HTML pages
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Restrict browsing to trusted websites only
- Use alternative browsers temporarily
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Chrome version: If version is below 84.0.4147.89, the system is vulnerable.Check Version:
chrome://version/ (on Chrome) or google-chrome --version (command line)Verify Fix Applied:
Confirm Chrome version is 84.0.4147.89 or higher after update.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Chrome crash reports
- Unexpected process terminations
- Sandbox violation logs
Network Indicators:
- Requests to known malicious domains hosting exploit code
- Unusual outbound connections from Chrome processes
SIEM Query:
source="chrome" AND (event_type="crash" OR message="*Skia*" OR message="*buffer overflow*")🔗 References
- http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-07/msg00069.html
- http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-08/msg00007.html
- http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-08/msg00018.html
- http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-09/msg00041.html
- https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2020/07/stable-channel-update-for-desktop.html
- https://crbug.com/1092274
- 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
- https://www.debian.org/security/2021/dsa-4824
- http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-07/msg00069.html
- http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-08/msg00007.html
- http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-08/msg00018.html
- http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-09/msg00041.html
- https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2020/07/stable-channel-update-for-desktop.html
- https://crbug.com/1092274
- 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
- https://www.debian.org/security/2021/dsa-4824
