ChromeWeb browser · Google

CVE-2021-21142

CRITICAL · 9.6 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-02-09

Fix available

A fix is available. Upgrade to 88.0.4324.146 or later.

See remediation →

100/100

Remediation priority · Urgent

Remotely reachable No privileges

Official description

NVD · unedited

Use after free in Payments in Google Chrome on Mac prior to 88.0.4324.146 allowed a remote attacker to potentially perform a sandbox escape via a crafted HTML page.

Technical summary

dbcve analysis · high confidence

Use-after-free vulnerability in Google Chrome's Payments component on macOS that allowed a remote attacker to potentially escape the browser sandbox via a crafted HTML page, affecting versions prior to 88.0.4324.146.

MitigationUpdate Google Chrome to version 88.0.4324.146 or later on all affected macOS systems to remediate the vulnerability.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions

NVD · CPE data

ChromeWeb browser

Affected:< 88.0.4324.146

FedoraOperating system

Affected:= 32= 33

CVSS breakdown

From the vector

Attack vector: Network
Complexity: Low
Privileges: None
User interaction: Required
Scope: Changed
Confidentiality: High
Integrity: High
Availability: High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected?

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

Verify Google Chrome is installed

On macOS: check if /Applications/Google Chrome.app exists or run '/Applications/Google\ Chrome.app/Contents/MacOS/Google\ Chrome --version'. On Fedora: run 'rpm -q google-chrome-stable' or 'dnf list installed | grep chrome'

Affected if Chrome browser is not installed on the system
Check the installed Chrome version

Run the Chrome binary with --version flag: '/Applications/Google\ Chrome.app/Contents/MacOS/Google\ Chrome --version' on macOS or 'google-chrome-stable --version' on Fedora

Affected if Version number returned is less than 88.0.4324.146 (for example, 88.0.4324.100 or earlier)
Confirm the operating system is affected

Run 'uname -s' to check the OS name. The vulnerability specifically affects macOS. For Fedora, verify the distribution with 'cat /etc/os-release' and check if it shows Fedora 32 or Fedora 33

Affected if System is running macOS or Fedora 32/33 specifically
Verify the Payments component is present

The Payments component is built into Chrome. It can be verified by accessing chrome://settings/payments in the browser address bar

Affected if The Payments settings page loads successfully in the browser

The environment is affected if Google Chrome version is below 88.0.4324.146 and the system is running macOS or Fedora 32/33 with the Payments component accessible

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Remediation

dbcve · scoped

Upgrade available Upgrade to 88.0.4324.146 or later

Fixed in 88.0.4324.146

Interim mitigation

Update Google Chrome to version 88.0.4324.146 or later on all affected macOS systems to remediate the vulnerability.

Recommended fix High confidence

Chrome 88.0.4324.146 or later (or latest stable release)

1. Open Google Chrome and navigate to Help > About Google Chrome to check the current version
2. If the version is earlier than 88.0.4324.146, download the latest stable Chrome from https://www.google.com/chrome/
3. Install the downloaded Chrome version 88.0.4324.146 or later
4. Restart Chrome after installation
5. Verify the version by returning to Help > About Google Chrome and confirming the installed version is 88.0.4324.146 or higher

Caveat Minimal - Chrome stable releases maintain backward compatibility; minor UI changes may occur with significant version jumps

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Chrome Scoped from the published advisory

Consultation1.0 h
Implementation1.0 h
Testing1.0 h
Review / QA1.0 h

4.0 hours of engineering $750

Get the upgrade done

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 locally

dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-21142 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

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References

Primary sources

chromereleases.googleblog.comRelease NotesVendor Advisory
security.gentoo.orgThird Party Advisory
crbug.comPermissions Required
lists.fedoraproject.org
lists.fedoraproject.org
nvd.nist.govNVD record

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2021-21142 in production — separate from our analysis above.

Notes0 Guidelines

Know something about CVE-2021-21142?

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

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

What this is

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.

What belongs here

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

At a glance

A fix existsUpgrade to 88.0.4324.146 or later

Severity 9.6 Critical

Exploit likelihood EPSS, next 30 days 1.1%

Affects: Chrome

Remediation

A high-priority fix

Fix this in Chrome 4 hrs · Low

Typical engagement from $750

Get a fix See the full breakdown ↓

A high-priority vulnerability. Send your environment and a specialist will scope CVE-2021-21142 and return a fixed quote and timeline.

You’ll deal with our team directly and deploy the reviewed fix to staging first — never straight to production.

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.

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.

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.

CVSS 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.

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.

Check your environment

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.

Scan for this in your stack

References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Practitioner notes

No notes yet

Official description

Technical summary

Affected products & versions

CVSS breakdown

Am I affected?

Remediation

References