ChromeWeb browser · Google
CVE-2020-15998
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 · uneditedUse after free in USB in Google Chrome prior to 86.0.4240.99 allowed a remote attacker who had compromised the renderer process to potentially perform a sandbox escape 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 confidenceUse-after-free vulnerability in the USB component of Google Chrome (versions prior to 86.0.4240.99) that allows a remote attacker who has already compromised the renderer process to potentially escape the sandbox via a specially crafted HTML page.
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
< 86.0.4240.99CVSS 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
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/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 executable: On Windows, look in Program Files\Google\Chrome\Application\ or check registry HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\Google Chrome. On macOS, check /Applications/Google Chrome.app. On Linux, check /usr/bin/google-chrome or via package manager.Affected if Google Chrome is not present on the system
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Determine installed Chrome versionOpen chrome://version in the Chrome browser address bar, or run 'google-chrome --version' on Linux, or 'defaults read /Applications/Google\ Chrome.app/Contents/Info CFBundleVersion' on macOS.Affected if The installed version is lower than 86.0.4240.99
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Confirm USB feature is accessibleThe vulnerability exists in the USB component. Verify USB APIs are accessible: visit chrome://settings or check if USB device access is enabled. The USB component is a standard feature enabled by default in Chrome.Affected if USB functionality is available (this is the default state for most Chrome installations)
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Check for renderer process compromise indicatorsReview Chrome's security logs or crash reports in the user data directory (typically %LOCALAPPDATA%\Google\Chrome\User Data\Crashpad on Windows, ~/Library/Application Support/Google/Chrome/Crashpad on macOS).Affected if Unexpected crash dumps or security anomalies in renderer processes exist
You are affected if Google Chrome is installed with a version lower than 86.0.4240.99 and the USB component is accessible, which is the default configuration.
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 data86.0.4240.99
Update Google Chrome to version 86.0.4240.99 or later to remediate this vulnerability.
Fix this in Chrome
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation0.5 h
- Implementation0.5 h
- Testing0.3 h
- Review / QA0.3 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,200.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-15998 — 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-2020-15998 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