CVE-2020-6563 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE
Insufficient policy enforcement in intent handling in Google Chrome on Android prior to 85.0.4183.83 allowed a remote attacker to obtain potentially sensitive information from disk via a crafted HTML page.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/22/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2020-6563 represents a critical security flaw in Google Chrome's intent handling mechanism on Android platforms. This issue stems from insufficient policy enforcement during the processing of intents, which are fundamental components used by Android applications to communicate and interact with each other. The vulnerability affects Chrome versions prior to 85.0.4183.83, creating a persistent risk for users who have not updated their browsers to the patched version.
The technical flaw manifests in how Chrome processes intent requests when navigating to crafted HTML pages. Specifically, the browser fails to properly validate or restrict the scope of file system access that can be initiated through malicious intent handling. This allows an attacker to construct a specially crafted HTML page that, when loaded in Chrome, can trigger intent mechanisms that bypass normal security boundaries. The vulnerability exploits the trust model between Chrome and the Android operating system, where certain intent requests are automatically granted elevated privileges without proper verification of the requesting source or the legitimacy of the requested operation.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability enables remote attackers to potentially access sensitive information stored on the device's file system. The threat model encompasses the possibility of unauthorized data exfiltration, including personal documents, photos, application data, and other potentially confidential information. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability through various delivery mechanisms such as malicious websites, phishing campaigns, or compromised web applications that serve the crafted HTML content to unsuspecting users. The remote nature of the attack means that no local compromise or user interaction beyond visiting a malicious page is required, making it particularly dangerous in the context of modern mobile browsing environments.
The security implications of this vulnerability align with CWE-284, which addresses improper access control in software systems, and can be mapped to ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter usage. This flaw demonstrates the critical importance of maintaining robust access controls and proper input validation in mobile browser environments where applications must balance functionality with security. The vulnerability also highlights the challenges inherent in mobile operating system security models where applications must navigate complex permission systems while maintaining compatibility with existing software ecosystems. Organizations should prioritize immediate remediation through Chrome updates and implement additional monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts.
Mitigation strategies should include immediate deployment of Chrome version 85.0.4183.83 or later, which contains the necessary patches to address the intent handling policy enforcement issues. Security teams should also implement network-level monitoring to detect suspicious intent-related traffic patterns and consider deploying mobile device management solutions that can enforce automatic browser updates. Additional protective measures include user education about avoiding untrusted websites and implementing web filtering solutions that can block known malicious domains. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of the importance of maintaining current security patches and the potential consequences of delayed updates in mobile environments where browser security is paramount to overall device protection.