CVE-2021-21114 – This is a use-after-free vulnerability in Chrom... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2021-21114?

CVE-2021-21114 has a CVSS score of 8.8 (HIGH). This is a use-after-free vulnerability in Chrome's audio component that allows remote attackers to potentially exploit heap corruption. Attackers can trigger this by tricking users into visiting a malicious HTML page. All Chrome users on versions prior to 87.0.4280.141 are affected.

📋 TL;DR

This is a use-after-free vulnerability in Chrome's audio component that allows remote attackers to potentially exploit heap corruption. Attackers can trigger this by tricking users into visiting a malicious HTML page. All Chrome users on versions prior to 87.0.4280.141 are affected.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Google Chrome

Versions: All versions prior to 87.0.4280.141

Operating Systems: Windows, Linux, macOS, Chrome OS

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: All standard Chrome installations are vulnerable. Extensions or security settings don't mitigate this.

📦 What is this software?

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

🟠

Likely Case

Browser crash (denial of service) or limited code execution within Chrome's sandbox.

🟢

If Mitigated

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

🌐 Internet-Facing: HIGH

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: UNKNOWN

Unauthenticated Exploit: ⚠️ Yes

Complexity: MEDIUM

Exploitation requires user interaction (visiting malicious page) but no authentication. Heap corruption vulnerabilities often lead to RCE.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: 87.0.4280.141

Vendor Advisory: https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2021/01/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 update.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable JavaScript

all

Prevents malicious HTML pages from executing exploit code

Use Chrome's Site Isolation

all

Limits impact if exploitation occurs

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Restrict web browsing to trusted sites only
Deploy web filtering to block malicious content

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check Chrome version: if below 87.0.4280.141, you are vulnerable.

Check Version:

chrome://version/

Verify Fix Applied:

Confirm Chrome version is 87.0.4280.141 or higher.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Chrome crash reports
Unexpected process termination

Network Indicators:

Requests to known malicious domains hosting exploit code

SIEM Query:

source="chrome" AND (event="crash" OR event="process_termination")

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2021-21114

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-416

Published: January 8, 2021

Last Updated: November 21, 2024

🔗 References

https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2021/01/stable-channel-update-for-desktop.html Release Notes,Vendor Advisory
https://crbug.com/1150065 Permissions Required,Vendor Advisory
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/VVUWIJKZTZTG6G475OR6PP4WPQBVM6PS/
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/Z6P6AVVFP7B2M4H7TJQBASRZIBLOTUFN/
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202101-05 Third Party Advisory
https://www.debian.org/security/2021/dsa-4832 Third Party Advisory
https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2021/01/stable-channel-update-for-desktop.html Release Notes,Vendor Advisory
https://crbug.com/1150065 Permissions Required,Vendor Advisory
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/VVUWIJKZTZTG6G475OR6PP4WPQBVM6PS/
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/Z6P6AVVFP7B2M4H7TJQBASRZIBLOTUFN/
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202101-05 Third Party Advisory
https://www.debian.org/security/2021/dsa-4832 Third Party Advisory

📤 Share & Export

📄 Export Markdown 📋 Export JSON

🔗 Related Vulnerabilities

If you're affected by CVE-2021-21114, you might also want to check these: