CVE-2020-6486 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE
Insufficient policy enforcement in navigations in Google Chrome prior to 83.0.4103.61 allowed a remote attacker to bypass navigation restrictions via a crafted HTML page.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/05/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2020-6486 represents a critical weakness in Google Chrome's navigation policy enforcement mechanisms that existed prior to version 83.0.4103.61. This flaw specifically targeted the browser's ability to properly enforce restrictions during navigation operations, creating a potential pathway for malicious actors to circumvent security controls that should have prevented certain navigation behaviors. The vulnerability resides in the browser's handling of navigation requests and policies, particularly when processing crafted HTML content that attempts to manipulate the navigation flow.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient validation and enforcement of navigation policies within Chrome's rendering engine. When a user encounters a specially crafted HTML page, the browser fails to properly evaluate the security implications of navigation attempts, allowing attackers to craft sequences that bypass established restrictions. This weakness operates at the intersection of browser security policies and HTML processing, where the navigation control mechanisms do not adequately validate the legitimacy of navigation requests. The flaw specifically affects how Chrome evaluates navigation restrictions during page load operations, potentially enabling attackers to redirect users to malicious destinations or access restricted resources.
The operational impact of CVE-2020-6486 extends beyond simple navigation bypasses, as it represents a fundamental breakdown in browser security boundaries that could enable more sophisticated attacks. Remote attackers could leverage this vulnerability to perform unauthorized navigation to phishing sites, malware distribution points, or other malicious destinations without user consent. The attack vector requires only a crafted HTML page, making it particularly dangerous as it can be delivered through various means including email attachments, compromised websites, or social engineering campaigns. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-693, which addresses protection mechanism failures, and specifically relates to insufficient policy enforcement in web browsers. The threat model encompasses potential credential theft, malware delivery, and unauthorized access to sensitive resources through manipulated navigation sequences.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2020-6486 primarily focus on immediate browser updates to versions 83.0.4103.61 and later, which contain the necessary patches to address the navigation policy enforcement weakness. Organizations should implement comprehensive browser update policies to ensure all users operate on secure versions of Chrome. Additional protective measures include implementing web application firewalls that monitor navigation patterns, deploying content security policies that restrict navigation behavior, and conducting regular security assessments of web applications that may be exposed to this vulnerability. Security teams should also consider implementing user education programs to recognize potentially malicious navigation attempts and establish monitoring procedures that detect unusual navigation patterns. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving web-based attacks and navigation manipulation, specifically relating to T1059.007 for browser script execution and T1566 for social engineering delivery methods. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of robust policy enforcement in browser security architectures and highlights the critical need for continuous security updates in web browsers to address emerging threats.