CVE-2021-30516 – This CVE describes a heap buffer overflow vulne... (How to Fix)

📋 TL;DR

This CVE describes a heap buffer overflow vulnerability in Google Chrome's History component that allows a remote attacker who has already compromised the renderer process to potentially exploit heap corruption. Attackers could execute arbitrary code or cause denial of service via a crafted HTML page. All Chrome users prior to version 90.0.4430.212 are affected.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Google Chrome
Chromium-based browsers

Versions: All versions prior to 90.0.4430.212

Operating Systems: Windows, Linux, macOS, Android, Chrome OS

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: All standard Chrome installations are vulnerable. The vulnerability requires renderer process compromise first, which could be achieved through other vulnerabilities or social engineering.

📦 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

Arbitrary code execution within the Chrome sandbox, potentially leading to privilege escalation or lateral movement

🟢

If Mitigated

Limited impact due to Chrome's sandboxing, potentially causing browser crashes or denial of service

🌐 Internet-Facing: HIGH - Attackers can exploit via malicious websites or ads without user interaction beyond visiting a page

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Requires initial renderer compromise, but internal users could be targeted via phishing or compromised internal sites

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: UNKNOWN

Unauthenticated Exploit: ⚠️ Yes

Complexity: MEDIUM

Exploitation requires chaining with another vulnerability to compromise the renderer process first. The heap overflow itself could be weaponized once initial access is achieved.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: 90.0.4430.212 and later

Vendor Advisory: https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2021/05/stable-channel-update-for-desktop.html

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Open Chrome and click the three-dot menu
2. Go to Help > About Google Chrome
3. Chrome will automatically check for updates and install version 90.0.4430.212 or later
4. Click 'Relaunch' to restart Chrome with the fix

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable JavaScript

all

Prevents execution of malicious JavaScript that could trigger the vulnerability

chrome://settings/content/javascript

Use Site Isolation

all

Enhances Chrome's sandboxing to limit impact of renderer compromises

chrome://flags/#enable-site-per-process (enable)

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Restrict browser usage to trusted websites only
Implement application whitelisting to prevent unauthorized Chrome execution

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check Chrome version in Help > About Google Chrome. If version is below 90.0.4430.212, system is vulnerable.

Check Version:

google-chrome --version (Linux) or "C:\Program Files\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe" --version (Windows)

Verify Fix Applied:

Confirm Chrome version is 90.0.4430.212 or higher in Help > About Google Chrome.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Chrome crash reports with memory corruption errors
Unexpected Chrome process termination
Suspicious history API calls

Network Indicators:

Requests to known malicious domains hosting exploit code
Unusual outbound connections from Chrome processes

SIEM Query:

source="chrome_logs" AND (event="crash" OR event="memory_corruption") AND version<"90.0.4430.212"

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2021-30516

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: June 4, 2021

Last Updated: November 21, 2024

🔗 References

https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2021/05/stable-channel-update-for-desktop.html Release Notes,Vendor Advisory
https://crbug.com/1201446 Exploit,Issue Tracking,Patch,Third Party Advisory
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 Third Party Advisory
https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2021/05/stable-channel-update-for-desktop.html Release Notes,Vendor Advisory
https://crbug.com/1201446 Exploit,Issue Tracking,Patch,Third Party Advisory
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 Third Party Advisory

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