CVE-2008-2810 in Firefox
Summary
by MITRE
Mozilla Firefox before 2.0.0.15 and SeaMonkey before 1.1.10 do not properly identify the context of Windows shortcut files, which allows user-assisted remote attackers to bypass the Same Origin Policy via a crafted web site for which the user has previously saved a shortcut.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/12/2019
The vulnerability described in CVE-2008-2810 represents a critical security flaw in Mozilla Firefox versions prior to 2.0.0.15 and SeaMonkey versions prior to 1.1.10. This issue stems from the browsers' inadequate handling of Windows shortcut file contexts, specifically the .lnk file format which is commonly used to create shortcuts on Windows operating systems. The flaw allows remote attackers to exploit a weakness in the browser's Same Origin Policy implementation by crafting malicious websites that can manipulate how shortcut files are interpreted and processed.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in how these browsers handle the metadata and context information embedded within Windows shortcut files. When users save web shortcuts to their local systems, the browser stores information about the originating website in the shortcut metadata. However, Firefox and SeaMonkey failed to properly validate or sanitize this context information, creating a potential pathway for attackers to manipulate how the browser interprets shortcut files. This improper context handling effectively weakens the browser's security boundaries and allows attackers to bypass fundamental web security mechanisms.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant as it enables attackers to perform cross-origin data access and potentially execute malicious code through user interaction. An attacker could craft a malicious website that, when visited by a user who has previously saved a shortcut to a target website, could trick the browser into treating the shortcut context as if it originated from the attacker's domain. This would allow the attacker to access resources or data that should normally be restricted by the Same Origin Policy, potentially leading to information disclosure, session hijacking, or other malicious activities.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-284, which addresses improper access control mechanisms, and specifically relates to the weakness in how browsers handle file context information. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this flaw maps to T1059 for execution through web-based attacks and T1566 for social engineering via malicious websites. The attack requires user interaction, as users must have previously saved shortcuts to target websites, making it a user-assisted remote attack vector that demonstrates the importance of proper input validation and context handling in web browsers.
The recommended mitigation strategy involves upgrading to the patched versions of Firefox 2.0.0.15 and SeaMonkey 1.1.10, which contain proper context validation for shortcut files. Additionally, users should be educated about the risks of saving shortcuts to untrusted websites and should regularly review their saved shortcuts. Browser security configurations should include enhanced validation of shortcut file metadata and proper isolation of context information to prevent cross-origin leakage. Organizations should implement network monitoring to detect suspicious web traffic patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. Security researchers and developers should also consider implementing more robust sandboxing mechanisms for handling file system operations and context information in web browsers to prevent similar vulnerabilities from emerging in future implementations.