ChromeWeb browser · Google
CVE-2020-15986
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedInteger overflow in media in Google Chrome prior to 86.0.4240.75 allowed a remote attacker to potentially exploit heap corruption via a crafted HTML page.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceInteger overflow vulnerability in Chrome's media component allows heap corruption when processing specially crafted media content via HTML pages. The flaw exists prior to version 86.0.4240.75 and can be triggered remotely through malicious HTML pages requiring user interaction.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data
ChromeWeb browser
< 86.0.4240.75
FedoraOperating system
= 31= 32= 33
Debian LinuxOperating system
= 10.0= 15.0CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Verify Google Chrome is installedCheck for Chrome installation by looking for the executable: Windows - C:\Program Files\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe or C:\Program Files (x86)\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe; macOS - /Applications/Google Chrome.app; Linux - which google-chrome or which chromium-browserAffected if Google Chrome is not found on the system, this CVE does not apply
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Retrieve installed Chrome versionNavigate to chrome://settings/help in the Chrome browser address bar, or run: Windows - "C:\Program Files\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe" --version; macOS - /Applications/Google\ Chrome.app/Contents/MacOS/Google\ Chrome --version; Linux - google-chrome --version or chromium-browser --versionAffected if The command fails or returns no version output, preventing version-based assessment
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Compare version against affected rangeParse the version number returned from the previous step and compare it to 86.0.4240.75 using semantic version comparisonAffected if The installed version is lower than 86.0.4240.75 (e.g., 86.0.4240.0, 85.x.x.x, etc.)
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Check for Chrome usage in enterprise environmentIf Chrome is managed via enterprise policy, review Group Policy or MDM profiles for Chrome version restrictions, or check centralized software distribution inventory for Chrome version deployment statusAffected if Enterprise-managed Chrome versions are below 86.0.4240.75 and user interaction with untrusted HTML media content is possible
The environment is affected if Google Chrome is installed with a version lower than 86.0.4240.75 and users can process media content from HTML pages.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor data86.0.4240.75
Update Google Chrome to version 86.0.4240.75 or later; in enterprise environments, deploy the update via centralized software distribution mechanisms and verify complete coverage.
Fix this in Chrome
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,424.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-15986 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2020-15986 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.
- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data