# CVE-2024-7980: Privilege escalation in Chrome

> A local attacker can escalate privileges in Google Chrome on Windows by exploiting insufficient validation in the installer via a crafted symbolic link.

- **Severity:** High 7.3 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 21 Aug 2024
- **Updated:** 22 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2024-7980, GHSA-8p7p-r9xv-w8g4

## What is CVE-2024-7980?

CVE-2024-7980 is a high-severity vulnerability in Google Chrome, published on 21 Aug 2024. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

Insufficient data validation in Installer in Google Chrome on Windows prior to 128.0.6613.84 allowed a local attacker to perform privilege escalation via a crafted symbolic link. (Chromium security severity: Medium)

Weakness: CWE-345 (Insufficient Verification of Data Authenticity), CWE-20 (Improper Input Validation)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2024-7980?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Google Chrome.

## How do I fix CVE-2024-7980?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

## Is CVE-2024-7980 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-7980 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Google Chrome

- [CVE-2022-4135](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-4135/): Google Chromium GPU Heap Buffer Overflow (critical 9.6, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2020-16017](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-16017/): Google Chrome Use-After-Free (critical 9.6, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2020-16010](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-16010/): Google Chrome for Android UI Heap Buffer Overflow (critical 9.6, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2026-87491](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-87491/): Google Chromium V8 Out of Bounds Write (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2026-85046](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-85046/): Google Chromium V8 Type Confusion (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2024-7980 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2024-7980 is a high-severity vulnerability in Google Chrome, published on 21 Aug 2024. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-7980 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Google Chrome. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-7980/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-7980/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-7980
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-7980
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2024-7980

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-7980/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.