ChromeWeb browser · Google
CVE-2020-16021
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 · uneditedRace in image burner in Google Chrome on ChromeOS prior to 87.0.4280.66 allowed a remote attacker who had compromised the browser process to perform OS-level privilege escalation 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 confidenceA race condition in the image burner component of Google Chrome on ChromeOS prior to version 87.0.4280.66 allows an attacker who has already compromised the browser process to escalate privileges to the OS level by presenting a malicious file to the image burner.
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
- High
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/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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Identify the operating systemConfirm the device is running ChromeOS. This vulnerability only affects Chrome on ChromeOS, not Chrome on Windows, macOS, or Linux. Check system information or run 'cat /etc/os-release' to verify the OS.Affected if The OS is ChromeOS (if running Windows, macOS, Linux, or other OS, the environment is not affected by this specific CVE)
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Check ChromeOS versionNavigate to chrome://settings/help or run 'chrome --version' in the terminal to display the current Chrome/ChromeOS version number.Affected if The installed version is lower than 87.0.4280.66 (versions 87.0.4280.66 and later contain the fix)
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Locate image burner componentSearch for the image burner feature in ChromeOS settings or app launcher. It is typically found in Settings > Apps > Google Play Store > Install external content, or accessed via the file manager when selecting 'Burn image' on an ISO file.Affected if The image burner feature exists and is accessible on the device (the vulnerability requires this component to be present)
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Verify browser process integritySince this attack requires prior compromise of the browser process, inspect running Chrome processes for anomalies. Use 'ps aux | grep chrome' or check chrome://system for unusual child processes, unexpected extensions, or modified browser configurations.Affected if The browser process shows signs of compromise such as unexpected child processes, unauthorized extensions, or modified security settings (the race condition requires the browser to already be compromised as a prerequisite)
You are affected if running ChromeOS with Chrome version below 87.0.4280.66, the image burner component is present, and the browser process has been compromised (the vulnerability is a privilege escalation, not an initial access vector).
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 data87.0.4280.66
Update ChromeOS to version 87.0.4280.66 or later to patch the race condition in the image burner; ensure browser process integrity controls are in place as this attack requires prior browser compromise.
Fix this in Chrome
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,848.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-16021 — 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-2020-16021 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