CVE-2020-6465 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE
Use after free in reader mode in Google Chrome on Android prior to 83.0.4103.61 allowed a remote attacker who had compromised the renderer process to potentially perform a sandbox escape via a crafted HTML page.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/06/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2020-6465 represents a critical use-after-free flaw within Google Chrome's reader mode implementation on Android platforms. This security weakness existed in Chrome versions prior to 83.0.4103.61 and fundamentally compromised the browser's memory management integrity. The vulnerability specifically affects the renderer process, which is a core component responsible for executing web content and managing the browser's visual interface. When a malicious actor successfully exploits this flaw, they can manipulate the memory state of the Chrome process to execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from improper memory deallocation handling within the reader mode functionality. A use-after-free condition occurs when a program continues to reference memory that has already been freed, creating opportunities for memory corruption and arbitrary code execution. In this case, the flaw manifests when Chrome processes HTML content through its reader mode feature, which strips away advertisements and formatting to present clean article content. The attacker can craft a specially designed HTML page that triggers the memory corruption during the rendering process, effectively allowing them to manipulate the memory layout of the compromised renderer process.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation as it enables potential sandbox escape capabilities. The renderer process in Chrome operates within a restricted environment designed to isolate it from the underlying operating system and other processes. However, successful exploitation of this use-after-free flaw can allow an attacker to break out of this sandbox, gaining access to system resources and potentially executing commands with the privileges of the user running Chrome. This represents a significant escalation from typical web-based attacks, as the attacker can move laterally within the system and access sensitive data or perform unauthorized operations.
The exploitation pathway for this vulnerability requires the attacker to first compromise the renderer process through some initial vector, such as a phishing page or drive-by download. Once inside the renderer process, the attacker can leverage the memory corruption to execute code that manipulates the browser's memory management routines. This attack vector aligns with the attacker tactics described in the ATT&CK framework under process injection and privilege escalation techniques. The vulnerability also corresponds to CWE-416, which specifically addresses use-after-free errors, making it a well-documented and dangerous class of memory safety issues. Organizations and users should prioritize immediate patching of affected Chrome versions to prevent exploitation, as the vulnerability provides a direct pathway to system compromise through browser-based attacks.
The remediation for this vulnerability requires updating to Chrome version 83.0.4103.61 or later, which includes memory safety improvements and proper deallocation handling within the reader mode implementation. Security teams should implement comprehensive browser update policies and monitor for any attempts to exploit this specific vulnerability in their environments. Additionally, network security controls such as web application firewalls and content filtering systems can provide additional layers of protection against malicious HTML content that might attempt to trigger this vulnerability during normal browsing operations.