CVE-2020-15999

Name: CVE-2020-15999
Creator: NVD / NIST
Published: 2020-11-03T03:15:14.853+00:00
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

CRITICALCVSS 9.6/10Actively ExploitedEPSS 50.63%

Last modified Jun 17, 2026

CVE-2020-15999 is a critical-severity vulnerability rated 9.6/10 on the CVSS scale. 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.. CISA has confirmed active exploitation in the wild. EPSS estimates a 50.63% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days.

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.

Metrics

CVSS 3.1

9.6/10

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

EPSS Probability

50.63%

98.8th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Exploitation Status

This vulnerability is listed in CISA’s Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, confirming active exploitation in the wild. Federal agencies must remediate by Nov 17, 2021.

Weakness Enumeration

Affected Software

Vendor	Product	Versions	Update
Google	Chrome	< 86.0.4240.111	—
Freetype	Freetype	>= 2.6.0, < 2.10.4	—
Debian	Debian Linux	10.0	—
Fedoraproject	Fedora	31	—
Opensuse	Backports Sle	15.0	Sp2
Netapp	Ontap Select Deploy Administration Utility	All versions	—

References

http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-11/msg00016.htmlBroken Link, Mailing List, Third Party Advisory
http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2020/Nov/33Mailing List, Not Applicable, Third Party Advisory
https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2020/10/stable-channel-update-for-desktop_20.htmlThird Party Advisory
https://crbug.com/1139963Exploit, Issue Tracking, Third Party Advisory
https://googleprojectzero.blogspot.com/p/rca-cve-2020-15999.htmlExploit, Third Party Advisory
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/J3QVIGAAJ4D62YEJAJJWMCCBCOQ6TVL7/Release Notes
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202011-12Third Party Advisory
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202012-04Third Party Advisory
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202401-19Third Party Advisory
https://www.debian.org/security/2021/dsa-4824Mailing List, Third Party Advisory
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-11/msg00016.htmlBroken Link, Mailing List, Third Party Advisory
http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2020/Nov/33Mailing List, Not Applicable, Third Party Advisory
https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2020/10/stable-channel-update-for-desktop_20.htmlThird Party Advisory
https://crbug.com/1139963Exploit, Issue Tracking, Third Party Advisory
https://googleprojectzero.blogspot.com/p/rca-cve-2020-15999.htmlExploit, Third Party Advisory
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/J3QVIGAAJ4D62YEJAJJWMCCBCOQ6TVL7/Release Notes
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202011-12Third Party Advisory
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202012-04Third Party Advisory
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202401-19Third Party Advisory
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20240812-0001/Third Party Advisory
https://www.debian.org/security/2021/dsa-4824Mailing List, Third Party Advisory
https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2020-15999US Government Resource

Timeline

Published: Nov 3, 2020
Last Modified: Jun 17, 2026
Status: Analyzed

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 score of 9.6/10 (CRITICAL severity). The EPSS model estimates a 50.63% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. This vulnerability is listed in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.

How do I fix CVE-2020-15999?

Check the vendor references and advisories linked above for patched versions and mitigation guidance. You can also run a Strix scan to test if your systems are affected.

Are you affected by CVE-2020-15999?

Run a free Strix scan to check your systems for this vulnerability.

Scan your code now

Source: NVD / NIST