CVE-2020-36765 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE • 07/17/2024
Insufficient policy enforcement in Navigation in Google Chrome prior to 85.0.4183.83 allowed a remote attacker to leak cross-origin data via a crafted HTML page. (Chromium security severity: Medium)
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/24/2025
This vulnerability represents a significant cross-origin data leakage issue within Google Chrome's navigation handling mechanisms. The flaw existed in Chrome versions prior to 85.0.4183.83 and stemmed from inadequate policy enforcement during navigation operations. Attackers could exploit this weakness by crafting malicious HTML pages that would trigger unintended data exposure across different origins, effectively bypassing the browser's security boundaries. The vulnerability specifically targeted the navigation component's ability to properly enforce same-origin policies and cross-origin restrictions.
The technical implementation of this flaw involved manipulation of navigation sequences where Chrome failed to adequately validate or restrict cross-origin resource access during page transitions. When a user visited a crafted HTML page, the browser's navigation system would process the page in a way that allowed unauthorized access to resources from different origins. This could potentially expose sensitive information such as cookies, local storage data, or other cross-origin resources that should normally be protected by the browser's security model. The issue was classified as medium severity by Chromium's security team, indicating a moderate risk level that could be exploited remotely without user interaction.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability created a pathway for remote attackers to conduct cross-site data leakage attacks. An attacker could construct a malicious webpage that would navigate to a target origin and then extract data from that origin through the compromised navigation handling. The attack vector required no user interaction beyond visiting the malicious page, making it particularly dangerous in phishing scenarios or when users were browsing untrusted websites. This weakness undermined the fundamental security principle of same-origin policy enforcement that browsers use to protect user data and prevent unauthorized cross-origin access.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284 Access Control Issues and relates to ATT&CK technique T1071.001 Application Layer Protocol: Web Protocols, specifically targeting web browser navigation and security boundary enforcement. Organizations should have implemented immediate mitigations including updating to Chrome version 85.0.4183.83 or later, which contained the necessary policy enforcement fixes. Additional protective measures included implementing content security policies, monitoring for suspicious navigation patterns, and ensuring proper browser updates were deployed across all user environments. The fix involved strengthening the navigation policy enforcement mechanisms to properly validate cross-origin requests and prevent unauthorized data access during page transitions, thereby restoring proper isolation between different origins within the browser's security model.