CVE-2021-21192
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause denial of service via heap corruption by tricking users into visiting a malicious webpage. It affects all users of Google Chrome before version 89.0.4389.90.
💻 Affected Systems
- Google Chrome
- Chromium-based browsers
📦 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 →Fedora by Fedoraproject
⚠️ 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 sandbox constraints.
If Mitigated
No impact if Chrome is updated to patched version or if exploit attempts are blocked by security controls.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires user interaction (visiting malicious page) but no authentication. Chrome's sandbox may limit impact.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 89.0.4389.90 and later
Vendor Advisory: https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2021/03/stable-channel-update-for-desktop_12.html
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Open Chrome 2. Click menu → Help → About Google Chrome 3. Allow update to install 4. Click Relaunch when prompted
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable JavaScript
allPrevents exploitation by blocking JavaScript execution
chrome://settings/content/javascript → Block
Use Site Isolation
allEnhances sandboxing between sites
chrome://flags/#site-isolation-trial-opt-out → Disabled
🧯 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 in menu → Help → About Google ChromeCheck Version:
google-chrome --versionVerify Fix Applied:
Confirm version is 89.0.4389.90 or higher📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Chrome crash reports
- Unusual process creation from chrome.exe
Network Indicators:
- Requests to known malicious domains hosting exploit
SIEM Query:
process_name="chrome.exe" AND (event_id=1000 OR command_line CONTAINS "--type=renderer")🔗 References
- https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2021/03/stable-channel-update-for-desktop_12.html
- https://crbug.com/1181387
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/N52OWF4BAP3JNK2QYGU3Q6QUVDZDCIMQ/
- https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202104-08
- https://www.debian.org/security/2021/dsa-4886
- https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2021/03/stable-channel-update-for-desktop_12.html
- https://crbug.com/1181387
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/N52OWF4BAP3JNK2QYGU3Q6QUVDZDCIMQ/
- https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202104-08
- https://www.debian.org/security/2021/dsa-4886
