CVE-2020-6533 – This is a type confusion vulnerability in Chrom... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2020-6533?

CVE-2020-6533 has a CVSS score of 8.8 (HIGH). This is a type confusion vulnerability in Chrome's V8 JavaScript engine that could allow a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code or cause heap corruption by tricking the browser into misinterpreting object types. It affects users running Chrome versions before 84.0.4147.89 who visit malicious websites.

📋 TL;DR

This is a type confusion vulnerability in Chrome's V8 JavaScript engine that could allow a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code or cause heap corruption by tricking the browser into misinterpreting object types. It affects users running Chrome versions before 84.0.4147.89 who visit malicious websites.

💻 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 Chrome configurations are vulnerable. Other browsers using V8 may also be affected.

📦 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 leading to full system compromise, data theft, or ransomware deployment.

🟠

Likely Case

Browser crash (denial of service) or limited code execution within browser sandbox.

🟢

If Mitigated

No impact if patched; sandboxing may limit damage if exploited.

🌐 Internet-Facing: HIGH - Exploitable via visiting malicious websites without user interaction beyond browsing.

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Requires user to visit compromised internal sites or phishing pages.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: LIKELY

Unauthenticated Exploit: ⚠️ Yes

Complexity: MEDIUM

Type confusion vulnerabilities in V8 are frequently exploited in the wild. No public PoC available but likely used by threat actors.

🛠️ 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 menu (three dots) > Help > About Google Chrome. 3. Chrome will automatically check for and install updates. 4. Click 'Relaunch' to restart Chrome with the patched version.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable JavaScript

all

Prevents exploitation by disabling JavaScript execution in Chrome.

chrome://settings/content/javascript > Block

Use Site Isolation

all

Enables site isolation to limit impact if exploited.

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

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Use alternative browser temporarily
Restrict browsing to trusted websites only

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check Chrome version: If version is less than 84.0.4147.89, system is vulnerable.

Check Version:

google-chrome --version (Linux) or chrome://version (all platforms)

Verify Fix Applied:

Confirm Chrome version is 84.0.4147.89 or higher.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Chrome crash reports
Unexpected process termination in system logs

Network Indicators:

Requests to known malicious domains hosting exploit code

SIEM Query:

source="chrome_crash_logs" AND message="V8" AND severity="CRITICAL"

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2020-6533

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 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/1069964 Issue Tracking,Permissions Required,Third Party 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 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/1069964 Issue Tracking,Permissions Required,Third Party 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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🔗 Related Vulnerabilities

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