Vulnerability DatabaseCVE-2020-16010

CVE-2020-16010:
Google Chrome vulnerability analysis and mitigation

Overview

A heap buffer overflow vulnerability (CVE-2020-16010) was discovered in Google Chrome's UI on Android prior to version 86.0.4240.185. The vulnerability was reported on October 31, 2020, by Maddie Stone, Mark Brand, and Sergei Glazunov of Google Project Zero. This security flaw allowed remote attackers who had compromised the renderer process to potentially perform a sandbox escape through a specially crafted HTML page (Chrome Android Blog, NVD).

Technical details

The vulnerability is classified as a heap-based buffer overflow in the UI component specifically affecting the Android version of Google Chrome. This implementation flaw could be exploited through a crafted HTML page, potentially leading to sandbox escape capabilities (Help Net Security).

Impact

The vulnerability could allow attackers to escape Chrome's sandbox environment, effectively bypassing one of the browser's primary security mechanisms. This could potentially lead to privilege escalation on the vulnerable system, giving attackers broader access to the affected Android device (Help Net Security).

Mitigation and workarounds

Google released a patch for this vulnerability in Chrome version 86.0.4240.185 for Android. The update was made available through Google Play and was rolled out over several weeks following the discovery. Users were advised to ensure their Chrome installations were updated to this version or later to mitigate the vulnerability (Chrome Android Blog).