CVE-2007-2292 in Firefox
Summary
by MITRE
CRLF injection vulnerability in the Digest Authentication support for Mozilla Firefox before 2.0.0.8 and SeaMonkey before 1.1.5 allows remote attackers to conduct HTTP request splitting attacks via LF (%0a) bytes in the username attribute.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/29/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2007-2292 represents a critical CRLF injection flaw within the digest authentication implementation of Mozilla Firefox and SeaMonkey browsers. This security weakness specifically affects versions prior to Firefox 2.0.0.8 and SeaMonkey 1.1.5, creating a pathway for remote attackers to exploit HTTP request splitting techniques through manipulation of the username attribute field. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and sanitization of authentication credentials, particularly when processing the username parameter in digest authentication schemes.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when an attacker injects line feed characters represented as %0a into the username field during digest authentication requests. This injection allows malicious actors to manipulate the HTTP protocol by appending additional HTTP requests to the original request, effectively enabling HTTP request splitting attacks. The flaw operates at the application layer and specifically targets the authentication handling mechanism where the browser processes digest authentication headers. When the vulnerable browser processes these malformed credentials, it fails to properly sanitize the input, permitting the injected CRLF sequences to be interpreted as legitimate protocol delimiters rather than malicious input.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple authentication bypass attempts, as it provides attackers with the capability to perform various malicious activities including session hijacking, cache poisoning, and cross-site scripting attacks. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to inject malicious headers into HTTP responses, potentially redirecting users to malicious websites or extracting sensitive information from the browser's cache. The vulnerability's severity is amplified by its remote nature, allowing attackers to exploit it without requiring physical access to the target system or presence of the user in the attack scenario. This makes it particularly dangerous in web environments where users interact with potentially malicious websites.
Security professionals should implement immediate mitigations including updating affected browsers to patched versions, implementing proper input validation at proxy and web application firewalls, and monitoring for unusual authentication patterns. Organizations should also consider deploying intrusion detection systems that can identify CRLF injection attempts in HTTP traffic and establish network segmentation to limit the potential impact of successful exploitation. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-113, which addresses improper neutralization of CRLF characters in HTTP headers, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1190 for exploiting vulnerabilities in web applications. The remediation process requires not only updating browser versions but also implementing comprehensive security testing procedures to identify similar injection vulnerabilities in other web application components.
The broader implications of this vulnerability highlight the critical importance of proper input sanitization in web applications and the necessity of implementing robust security controls at multiple layers of the network stack. This flaw demonstrates how seemingly minor authentication implementation issues can create significant security risks, emphasizing the need for thorough security testing and validation of authentication mechanisms. Organizations must maintain awareness of such vulnerabilities through continuous monitoring and regular security assessments to prevent exploitation of similar weaknesses in their systems and applications.