CVE-2021-30514
📋 TL;DR
This is a use-after-free vulnerability in Chrome's Autofill feature that allows a remote attacker who has already compromised the renderer process to potentially exploit heap corruption. Attackers could execute arbitrary code or cause crashes by tricking users into visiting a malicious webpage. All Chrome users on versions prior to 90.0.4430.212 are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- Google Chrome
📦 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...
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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 or limited code execution within the sandboxed renderer process.
If Mitigated
No impact if Chrome is fully patched or if the renderer process hasn't been compromised through other means.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires chaining with another vulnerability to compromise the renderer process first.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 90.0.4430.212
Vendor Advisory: https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2021/05/stable-channel-update-for-desktop.html
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Open Chrome. 2. Click the three-dot menu. 3. Go to Help > About Google Chrome. 4. Chrome will automatically check for and install updates. 5. Click Relaunch to restart Chrome.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Autofill
allTemporarily disable Chrome's Autofill feature to mitigate the vulnerability.
Use Chrome Sandbox
allEnsure Chrome's sandbox is enabled to limit impact if renderer is compromised.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Restrict web browsing to trusted sites only.
- Use application whitelisting to prevent unauthorized code execution.
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Chrome version in Settings > About Chrome. If version is below 90.0.4430.212, you are vulnerable.Check Version:
On Windows: chrome://version/ | On Linux: google-chrome --version | On macOS: /Applications/Google\ Chrome.app/Contents/MacOS/Google\ Chrome --versionVerify Fix Applied:
Confirm Chrome version is 90.0.4430.212 or higher in Settings > About Chrome.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Chrome crash reports
- Unexpected renderer process terminations
- Security event logs showing exploit attempts
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="renderer")🔗 References
- https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2021/05/stable-channel-update-for-desktop.html
- https://crbug.com/1200766
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/ETMZL6IHCTCTREEL434BQ4THQ7EOHJ43/
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/PAT6EOXVQFE6JFMFQF4IKAOUQSHMHL54/
- https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202107-06
- https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2021/05/stable-channel-update-for-desktop.html
- https://crbug.com/1200766
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/ETMZL6IHCTCTREEL434BQ4THQ7EOHJ43/
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/PAT6EOXVQFE6JFMFQF4IKAOUQSHMHL54/
- https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202107-06
