{"id":"CVE-2020-15999","kind":"vulnerability","aliases":["CVE-2020-15999"],"related":[],"title":"Google Chrome FreeType: Google Chrome FreeType Heap Buffer Overflow Vulnerability","description":"Google Chrome uses FreeType, an open-source software library to render fonts, which contains a heap buffer overflow vulnerability in the function Load_SBit_Png when processing PNG images embedded into fonts. This vulnerability is part of an exploit chain with CVE-2020-17087 on Windows and CVE-2020-16010 on Android.\n\nCISA required action: Apply updates per vendor instructions.","summary":"Google Chrome bundles the FreeType font library, which has a heap buffer overflow when it parses PNG images embedded in fonts (Load_SBit_Png). An attacker who gets a user to load a crafted font can corrupt memory and may run code, and this flaw was exploited in the wild as part of a chain with CVE-2020-17087 and CVE-2020-16010.","severity":"critical","cvss":9.6,"epss":0.63894,"exploited":true,"exploited_at":"2021-11-03T00:00:00+00:00","products":[{"name":"Google Chrome FreeType","fixed":[],"affected":"","ecosystem":"vendor"}],"ecosystems":["vendor"],"tags":["android","browsers","chrome","exploited","runtime","windows"],"not_affected_if":["chrome-auto-updated-to-fixed-release"],"how_to_check":"Open chrome://version in Chrome and compare the version to the fixed release in the vendor advisory.","fix":"Update Google Chrome to a release that includes the FreeType fix, per the vendor instructions CISA references.","status":"open","published_at":"2020-11-03T03:15:14+00:00","first_seen_at":"2026-10-23T19:11:53+00:00","triaged_at":"2026-10-23T21:39:42+00:00","updated_at":"2026-10-23T21:57:35+00:00","category":"runtime","confidence":0.6,"triage":{"at":"2026-10-23T21:39:42Z","model":"claude-haiku-5-5","output":{"fix":"Update Google Chrome to a release that includes the FreeType fix, per the vendor instructions CISA references.\nunknown","reach":"internet","impact":"high","summary":"Google Chrome bundles the FreeType font library, which has a heap buffer overflow when it parses PNG images embedded in fonts (Load_SBit_Png). An attacker who gets a user to load a crafted font can corrupt memory and may run code, and this flaw was exploited in the wild as part of a chain with CVE-2020-17087 and CVE-2020-16010.","category":"runtime","who_cares":["chrome","windows","android","browsers"],"confidence":0.6,"needs_auth":"no","worst_case":"Attacker runs code in the browser by tricking a user into loading a font.","analyst_note":"Find the fixed Chrome version and the Google Chrome release notes for CVE-2020-15999 (sources give no version); confirm exploitation status via the CISA KEV entry.","how_to_check":"Open chrome://version in Chrome and compare the version to the fixed release in the vendor advisory.\nunknown","needs_analyst":true,"not_affected_if":["chrome-auto-updated-to-fixed-release"],"user_interaction":"yes","needs_special_setup":"no","severity_if_unknown":"high"},"cost_usd":0.000515,"input_tokens":2901,"output_tokens":449,"severity_before":"unknown"},"analyst_status":null,"analyst_note":null,"search":"'-15999':13A,16A '-16010':88B,139C '-17087':84B,133C '-2020':12A,15A,83B,87B,132C,138C 'action':144C 'android':20B,141C 'appli':145C 'attack':51B 'browser':21B 'buffer':8A,37B,106C 'bundl':28B 'chain':80B,129C 'chrome':2A,5A,18A,22B,27B,90C 'cisa':142C 'code':67B 'contain':103C 'corrupt':62B 'craft':59B 'cve':11A,14A,82B,86B,131C,137C 'embed':44B,119C 'exploit':23B,72B,128C 'flaw':70B 'font':31B,46B,60B,101C,121C 'freetyp':3A,6A,30B,92C 'freetype':19A 'function':111C 'get':53B 'googl':1A,4A,26B,89C 'google':17A 'heap':7A,36B,105C 'imag':43B,118C 'instruct':149C 'librari':32B,98C 'load':47B,57B,112C 'may':65B 'memori':63B 'open':95C 'open-sourc':94C 'overflow':9A,38B,107C 'pars':41B 'part':77B,125C 'per':147C 'png':42B,49B,114C,117C 'process':116C 'render':100C 'requir':143C 'run':66B 'runtim':24B 'sbit':48B,113C 'softwar':97C 'sourc':96C 'updat':146C 'use':91C 'user':55B 'vendor':148C 'vulner':10A,108C,123C 'wild':75B 'window':25B,135C","nicknames":[],"mitigations":[],"who_affected":null,"tier":null,"verified":{},"analyst_revisit_at":null,"first_public_at":"2020-11-03T03:15:14+00:00","kev":{"dateAdded":"2021-11-03","dueDate":"2021-11-17","requiredAction":"Apply updates per vendor instructions.","knownRansomwareCampaignUse":"Unknown"},"cvss_vector":"CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H","cvss_by":"nvd@nist.gov","poc_count":0,"sources":[{"source":"kev","external_id":"CVE-2020-15999","url":"https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?search_api_fulltext=CVE-2020-15999","severity":null,"published_at":"2021-11-03T00:00:00+00:00","modified_at":null,"first_seen_at":"2026-10-23T19:11:53+00:00","fetched_at":"2026-10-25T20:35:38+00:00","note":null},{"source":"epss","external_id":"CVE-2020-15999","url":"https://api.first.org/data/v1/epss?cve=CVE-2020-15999","severity":null,"published_at":null,"modified_at":null,"first_seen_at":"2026-10-23T19:13:44+00:00","fetched_at":"2026-10-23T19:13:44+00:00","note":null},{"source":"nvd","external_id":"CVE-2020-15999","url":"https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-15999","severity":null,"published_at":"2020-11-03T03:15:14+00:00","modified_at":"2026-06-17T02:57:36+00:00","first_seen_at":"2026-10-23T21:57:35+00:00","fetched_at":"2026-10-23T21:57:35+00:00","note":null}],"documents":[],"notice":"Free to read at a human pace. An API with keys and an MCP server are in preparation; early access: hello@infrastack.ai"}