CVE-2020-6466 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE
Use after free in media in Google Chrome 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 CVE-2020-6466 represents a critical use-after-free flaw in Google Chrome's media processing components that existed prior to version 83.0.4103.61. This type of vulnerability occurs when a program continues to reference memory that has already been freed, creating potential opportunities for malicious code execution. The flaw specifically affects the browser's renderer process, which handles the display and processing of web content including multimedia elements. When a malicious actor successfully compromises this process through a crafted HTML page, they can exploit the use-after-free condition to potentially escape the browser's sandbox environment, which is designed to isolate the renderer process from the underlying operating system.
This vulnerability falls under the CWE-416 category of "Use After Free" which is classified as a common weakness in software security practices. The attack vector requires remote code execution within the renderer process, making it particularly dangerous as it can be triggered through standard web browsing activities. The media processing components in question likely handle various multimedia formats including audio and video content, which are commonly embedded in web pages through html5 video elements, audio tags, or plugin-based content. The exploitation mechanism would involve crafting a malicious HTML page that triggers specific media processing code paths, leading to memory allocation and deallocation patterns that result in the use-after-free condition.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple browser compromise as it represents a sandbox escape capability that could allow attackers to gain elevated privileges on the victim's system. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability maps to T1059.007 for 'Command and Scripting Interpreter: JavaScript' and T1078.004 for 'Valid Accounts: Cloud Accounts' as attackers could potentially leverage the sandbox escape to move laterally within the system. The ability to escape the renderer sandbox means that an attacker who has already gained code execution within the browser context could potentially access system resources, read files, or execute arbitrary commands with the privileges of the browser user. This makes the vulnerability particularly concerning for enterprise environments where browser-based attacks are common attack vectors.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2020-6466 primarily focus on immediate patching and browser updates to version 83.0.4103.61 or later. Organizations should implement automated patch management systems to ensure timely deployment of security updates across all browser installations. Browser hardening measures including disabling unnecessary media features, implementing strict content security policies, and using sandboxing technologies can provide additional defense layers. Network-based protections such as web application firewalls and intrusion detection systems can help detect and block malicious HTML content that might trigger this vulnerability. The remediation approach should also include user education about avoiding untrusted websites and suspicious web content, as well as implementing browser security extensions that can help prevent exploitation of such vulnerabilities. Security teams should monitor for indicators of compromise related to this vulnerability and conduct regular security assessments to ensure proper patch management and system hardening measures are in place across their environments.