CVE-2020-6562 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE
Insufficient policy enforcement in Blink in Google Chrome prior to 85.0.4183.83 allowed a remote attacker to leak cross-origin data via a crafted HTML page.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/22/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2020-6562 represents a critical security flaw in the Blink rendering engine that powers Google Chrome and other Chromium-based browsers. This issue stems from insufficient policy enforcement mechanisms that fail to properly restrict cross-origin data access, creating a pathway for malicious actors to exploit browser security boundaries. The vulnerability specifically affects Chrome versions prior to 85.0.4183.83, making it a significant concern for users who have not updated their browsers to the patched versions.
The technical nature of this flaw lies in the browser's inability to adequately enforce same-origin policies when processing crafted HTML content. When a remote attacker constructs a malicious webpage containing specifically designed elements, the vulnerability allows unauthorized access to data from different origins that should normally be restricted. This cross-origin data leakage occurs through mechanisms that bypass the standard security controls designed to prevent such information disclosure. The flaw operates at the core rendering engine level, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited without requiring any user interaction beyond visiting a malicious website.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data leakage, as it can potentially expose sensitive information including user credentials, personal data, or confidential communications that should remain isolated between different origins. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to perform cross-site scripting attacks, gather intelligence about users' browsing habits, or extract information from other websites that the user has visited. The remote exploitation capability means that victims can be compromised simply by visiting a malicious website, without needing to download files or interact with specific elements. This makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous in phishing campaigns or when used in conjunction with other attack vectors.
From a cybersecurity perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-284, which addresses inadequate access control mechanisms, and can be categorized under ATT&CK technique T1059 for execution through web-based attacks. The flaw demonstrates the importance of proper policy enforcement in browser security architectures and highlights the risks associated with insufficient sandboxing or origin isolation mechanisms. Organizations should prioritize immediate patching of affected systems, as the vulnerability can be exploited by threat actors without requiring any specialized tools or extensive user interaction. Network security teams should also implement monitoring for suspicious web traffic patterns and consider deploying web application firewalls to detect and block potentially malicious content targeting this specific vulnerability. Regular security updates and browser maintenance programs become critical defensive measures against such remote code execution and data leakage threats.