ChromeWeb browser · Google
CVE-2020-16020
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 · uneditedInappropriate implementation in cryptohome in Google Chrome on ChromeOS prior to 87.0.4280.66 allowed a remote attacker who had compromised the browser process to bypass discretionary access control via a malicious file.
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 confidenceAn inappropriate implementation in cryptohome (ChromeOS's encrypted home directory system) allows a remote attacker who has already compromised the browser process to bypass discretionary access control mechanisms via a malicious file, enabling potential unauthorized access to encrypted user data.
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
< 87.0.4280.66CVSS 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.
-
Check installed Chrome versionNavigate to chrome://settings/help or use 'google-chrome --version' command in terminalAffected if Version is lower than 87.0.4280.66
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Confirm ChromeOS cryptohome is activeOn ChromeOS devices, cryptohome is the encrypted storage system for user profiles - verify by checking if /home/user/ directory is encrypted (encrypted shadow mount)Affected if Device uses ChromeOS with encrypted home directories and Chrome version is vulnerable
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Verify browser process integrityReview browser process for unexpected extensions, suspicious scripts, or unauthorized modifications to browser settingsAffected if Browser process has been compromised by remote attacker prior to this vulnerability being exploitable
User is affected if running Chrome version below 87.0.4280.66 on a ChromeOS device with cryptohome encryption enabled, and the browser process has already been compromised by an attacker who can now leverage the cryptohome bypass to access encrypted user data.
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.
dbcve · scoped87.0.4280.66
Update ChromeOS to version 87.0.4280.66 or later to patch the cryptohome vulnerability.
Chrome 87.0.4280.66 or later
- Open Google Chrome and navigate to Settings (three-dot menu > Settings)
- Click on 'About Chrome' in the left sidebar
- Chrome will automatically check for updates and display the current version
- If an update is available, click 'Update Google Chrome'
- Restart the browser to complete the update
- Verify the version is 87.0.4280.66 or later by returning to About Chrome
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in Chrome
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,928.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-16020 — 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-2020-16020 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