CVE DatabaseCVE-2020-16010

Updated 2026-06-17한국어 권고문 →

CVE-2020-160109.6/CRITICALCISA KEVCWE-787CWE-122

Google Chrome for Android UI Heap Buffer Overflow Sandbox Escape Vulnerability (CVE-2020-16010) Technical Advisory

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Affected Vendors

google

Affected Components

chrome

Published Date

2020-11-03

CVSS v3.1

9.6

CRITICAL

EPSS (30d)

6.4%

FIRST.org

CISA KEV

Exploited

NVD Source ↗

Executive & SecOps Summary

SECOPS ASSESSMENT

Affected Scope

Google Chrome for Android prior to version 86.0.4240.185

Impact

A remote attacker who has compromised the renderer process can trigger a heap buffer overflow in the UI component via a crafted HTML page, potentially leading to a complete sandbox escape and arbitrary code execution on the target device

Mitigation

Immediately update Google Chrome for Android to version 86.0.4240.185 or later via the Google Play Store

Affected Products & Version Scope

All versions of Google Chrome for Android prior to 86.0.4240.185

Remediation & Live Workaround Commands

PATCH & WORKAROUND

1. Official Patch & Version Upgrade Commands

To remediate this vulnerability, Google Chrome on all Android devices must be updated to version 86.0.4240.185 or higher. In enterprise environments managed via MDM or ADB, administrators can verify and trigger updates using the following commands:

bash

# Verify the installed Chrome version on the connected Android device
adb shell dumpsys package com.android.chrome | grep versionName

# Force open the Google Play Store page for Chrome to prompt user update
adb shell am start -a android.intent.action.VIEW -d 'market://details?id=com.android.chrome'

2. Temporary Workaround & Hardening Configuration

If immediate updates cannot be deployed, restrict access to untrusted external websites. Below is an Nginx configuration snippet to block outdated, vulnerable Chrome for Android user agents from accessing internal corporate web resources:

nginx

# Block vulnerable Chrome for Android versions prior to 86.0.4240.185
map $http_user_agent $block_vulnerable_chrome {
    default 0;
    ~*"Android.*Chrome/(8[0-5]\.|86\.0\.([0-3][0-9]{3}|4[0-1][0-9]{2}|42[0-3][0-9]|4240\.([0-9]|[1-9][0-9]|1[0-7][0-9]|18[0-4])))" 1;
}

server {
    listen 443 ssl;
    server_name internal.corp.local;

    if ($block_vulnerable_chrome) {
        return 403 'Access Denied: Your browser version is vulnerable. Please upgrade Chrome to 86.0.4240.185+';
    }
}

3. Log Audit & IoC Verification Commands

Use the following shell script to audit connected Android devices, identify vulnerable Chrome installations, and inspect system logs for potential crash indicators related to memory corruption:

bash

#!/bin/bash
echo '[*] Auditing Android devices for vulnerable Chrome versions...'

for dev in $(adb devices | grep -v 'List' | awk '{print $1}'); do
    if [ ! -z '$dev' ]; then
        VER=$(adb -s $dev shell dumpsys package com.android.chrome | grep versionName | cut -d'=' -f2)
        echo "Device [$dev]: Chrome Version is $VER"
        # Check for SIGSEGV or native crashes associated with Chrome UI
        echo "Device [$dev]: Scanning logcat for Chrome crash signatures..."
        adb -s $dev logcat -d | grep -E -i 'chrome|fatal|sigsegv' | tail -n 5
    fi
done

Interactive SecOps Remediation Checklist

0/4 (0%)

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Technical Root Cause & Exploitation Mechanics

1. Vulnerability Overview & Root Cause

CVE-2020-16010 is a critical heap buffer overflow vulnerability (CWE-122/CWE-787) residing in the User Interface (UI) component of Google Chrome for Android. The root cause stems from insufficient boundary validation when processing data exchanged between the low-privilege renderer process and the high-privilege browser UI process. This lack of validation allows an attacker to overwrite adjacent memory blocks on the heap, leading to memory corruption.

2. Exploitation Mechanics & Attack Scenario

The exploitation of this vulnerability typically follows a multi-stage attack chain. First, the attacker lures a victim to a malicious website containing exploit code designed to compromise the sandboxed renderer process. Once the renderer process is compromised, the attacker leverages this foothold to send malformed IPC (Inter-Process Communication) messages to the browser's UI process. The UI process, failing to properly validate the incoming data, triggers a heap buffer overflow, allowing the attacker to bypass the browser's sandbox boundaries and execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the Chrome application.

3. Infrastructure & Business Impact

As this vulnerability is actively exploited in the wild and listed in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, it poses an immediate threat to enterprise mobile fleets. A successful exploit allows attackers to escape the browser sandbox, gain unauthorized access to sensitive local data (such as session cookies, credentials, and local storage), and potentially compromise the underlying Android operating system, leading to data exfiltration and unauthorized network access.

Official Vendor Advisories & References

NVD Original English Description

Heap buffer overflow in UI in Google Chrome on Android prior to 86.0.4240.185 allowed a remote attacker who had compromised the renderer process to potentially perform a sandbox escape via a crafted HTML page.

https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2020/11/chrome-for-android-update.html

Source: chrome-cve-admin@google.com · Vendor Advisory

https://crbug.com/1144368

Source: chrome-cve-admin@google.com · Issue Tracking, Vendor Advisory

https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2020/11/chrome-for-android-update.html

Source: af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108 · Vendor Advisory

https://crbug.com/1144368

Source: af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108 · Issue Tracking, Vendor Advisory

https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2020-16010

Source: 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0 · US Government Resource

Frequently Asked SecOps Questions (CVE-2020-16010)

FAQ

Q1. How critical is CVE-2020-16010 and is it actively exploited in the wild?

CVE-2020-16010 is rated CVSS 9.6 (CRITICAL) with a 30-day EPSS exploitation probability of 6.4%. It is listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, requiring immediate emergency remediation.

Q2. Which vendors and products are affected by CVE-2020-16010?

Primary impacted vendors include google across chrome. Scope summary: All versions of Google Chrome for Android prior to 86.0.4240.185

Q3. What temporary mitigations or workarounds exist for CVE-2020-16010 before patching?

[Mitigation] Immediately update Google Chrome for Android to version 86.0.4240.185 or later via the Google Play Store Follow the CLI remediation commands and interactive SecOps checklist on this page to restrict exposure prior to your maintenance window.

SECOPS WORKBENCH INTEGRATION