CVE-2020-16017: Google Chrome Use-After-Free Vulnerability
- Is it exploited?
Yes. CISA added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 3 Nov 2021, 299 days after the CVE record was published.
- How likely is exploitation in the next 30 days?
- 2.7%
EPSS score, percentile 86 of all scored records
- How severe?
- 9.6 Critical
CVSS v3.1 base score, from CISA's enrichment of the record
- What should I do?
Required action (CISA), due 3 May 2022: Apply updates per vendor instructions.
The CVE record links no vendor advisory, patch or mitigation.
- Which versions are affected?
Affected: before 86.0.4240.198
Source: CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, 2026.10.28, as of 28 Oct 2026; FIRST Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS), v2026.06.15, as of 28 Oct 2026; CVE List V5 (CVE Program), cve_2026-10-28_0000Z, as of 28 Oct 2026. About the data.
What to do
Required action, set by CISA
Apply updates per vendor instructions.
CISA due date for this action: 3 May 2022.
Advisories and patches
The CVE record links no vendor advisory, patch or mitigation.
Linked from CISA's catalog entry
Affected products and versions
As listed in the CVE record.
| Status | Versions |
|---|---|
| Affected | before 86.0.4240.198 |
Source: CVE List V5 (CVE Program), cve_2026-10-28_0000Z, as of 28 Oct 2026. About the data.
About this vulnerability
Google Chrome contains a use-after-free vulnerability that allows a remote attacker, who has compromised the renderer process, to potentially perform a sandbox escape via a crafted HTML page.
Summary: CISA's KEV catalog, as of 28 Oct 2026.
- CISA added CVE-2020-16017 to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog on 3 Nov 2021.
- CISA's ransomware flag for this entry is "Unknown": no evidence of ransomware use in the catalog, which is not proof of none.
- The due date CISA sets for the required action is 3 May 2022.
- The CVE record was published on 8 Jan 2021, 299 days before it was added to KEV.
- The CVE record carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.6 (Critical), taken from CISA's enrichment of the record.
- FIRST's EPSS model puts the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days at 2.7% (percentile 86), as of 28 Oct 2026.
- CISA's SSVC assessment in the CVE record: exploitation active, automatable no, technical impact total.
Source: CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, 2026.10.28, as of 28 Oct 2026; CVE List V5 (CVE Program), cve_2026-10-28_0000Z, as of 28 Oct 2026; FIRST Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS), v2026.06.15, as of 28 Oct 2026. About the data.
Description
Use after free in site isolation in Google Chrome prior to 86.0.4240.198 allowed a remote attacker who had compromised the renderer process to potentially perform a sandbox escape via a crafted HTML page.
Source: CVE List V5 (CVE Program), cve_2026-10-28_0000Z, as of 28 Oct 2026. About the data.
Weakness
- CWE-416: Use After Free
CWE and CAPEC are maintained by MITRE; the entries are those named in the CVE record and the KEV entry.
Timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 8 Jan 2021 | CVE record published |
| 3 Nov 2021 | Added to CISA KEV |
| 3 May 2022 | CISA due date for the required action |
| 21 Oct 2025 | CVE record last updated |
References
More exploited Google vulnerabilities
- CVE-2026-111497: Google Brotli Unchecked Return Value Vulnerability
- CVE-2026-58704: Google Pixel Improper Authorization Vulnerability
- CVE-2026-87491: Google Chromium V8 Out of Bounds Write Vulnerability
- CVE-2026-85046: Google Chromium V8 Type Confusion Vulnerability
- CVE-2026-11645: Google Chromium V8 Out-of-Bounds Read and Write Vulnerability
- CVE-2026-5281: Google Dawn Use-After-Free Vulnerability