CVE-2020-15999
CVE-2020-15999 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Google Chrome with a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.6. It is listed in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, confirming it has been exploited in the wild (added 2021-11-03). The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-787.
Key facts
- Severity: Critical (CVSS 3.x base score 9.6)
- CVSS v2: 4.3
- EPSS exploit prediction: 51% (99th percentile)
- Actively exploited: Yes — listed in CISA KEV (added 2021-11-03)
- EU (EUVD) id: EUVD-2020-1435
- EU exploitation: Flagged exploited in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (since 2021-11-03)
- Weakness: CWE-787
- Affected product: Google Chrome
- Published:
- Last modified:
Description
Heap buffer overflow in Freetype in Google Chrome prior to 86.0.4240.111 allowed a remote attacker to potentially exploit heap corruption via a crafted HTML page.
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2020-15999?
- Heap buffer overflow in Freetype in Google Chrome prior to 86.0.4240.111 allowed a remote attacker to potentially exploit heap corruption via a crafted HTML page.
- How severe is CVE-2020-15999?
- CVE-2020-15999 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.6, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
- Is CVE-2020-15999 being actively exploited?
- Yes. CVE-2020-15999 is on CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, added on 2021-11-03, which means active exploitation has been confirmed. It should be prioritised for remediation.
- What products are affected by CVE-2020-15999?
- CVE-2020-15999 primarily affects Google Chrome. In total, 6 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
- How do I fix CVE-2020-15999?
- Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Because this CVE is known to be actively exploited, treat remediation as urgent — CISA KEV typically sets a short remediation deadline.
- Does CVE-2020-15999 have an EU (EUVD) identifier?
- Yes. CVE-2020-15999 is tracked in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD) as EUVD-2020-1435. It is also flagged as exploited in the EUVD (since 2021-11-03).
- When was CVE-2020-15999 published?
- CVE-2020-15999 was published on 2020-11-03 and last updated on 2026-06-17.
References
- http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-11/msg00016.html
- http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2020/Nov/33
- https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2020/10/stable-channel-update-for-desktop_20.html
- https://crbug.com/1139963
- https://googleprojectzero.blogspot.com/p/rca-cve-2020-15999.html
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/J3QVIGAAJ4D62YEJAJJWMCCBCOQ6TVL7/
- https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202011-12
- https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202012-04
- https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202401-19
- https://www.debian.org/security/2021/dsa-4824
- https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20240812-0001/
- https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2020-15999
Affected products (6)
- cpe:2.3:a:google:chrome:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:freetype:freetype:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:10.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:31:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:opensuse:backports_sle:15.0:sp2:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:netapp:ontap_select_deploy_administration_utility:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
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