CVE-2009-3072 in Firefox
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple unspecified vulnerabilities in the browser engine in Mozilla Firefox before 3.0.14 and 3.5.x before 3.5.3, Thunderbird before 2.0.0.24, and SeaMonkey before 1.1.19 allow remote attackers to cause a denial of service (memory corruption and application crash) or possibly execute arbitrary code via vectors related to the BinHex decoder in netwerk/streamconv/converters/nsBinHexDecoder.cpp, and unknown vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/22/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2009-3072 represents a critical security flaw affecting multiple Mozilla-based applications including Firefox, Thunderbird, and SeaMonkey. This issue resides within the browser engine's handling of BinHex encoded data, specifically within the nsBinHexDecoder.cpp file located in the netwerk/streamconv/converters directory. The vulnerability manifests as multiple unspecified flaws that can be exploited by remote attackers to trigger either denial of service conditions through memory corruption and application crashes, or potentially more severe arbitrary code execution. The affected versions include Firefox 3.0.x before 3.0.14 and 3.5.x before 3.5.3, Thunderbird 2.0.0.24, and SeaMonkey 1.1.19. These versions were particularly susceptible due to inadequate input validation and memory management within the BinHex decoding component.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from improper handling of BinHex encoded data structures within the network stream conversion framework. BinHex is a file encoding format originally developed for Macintosh systems that encodes binary data into ASCII characters. When the affected applications encountered malformed or maliciously crafted BinHex data, the nsBinHexDecoder.cpp component failed to properly validate input parameters and manage memory allocation, leading to potential buffer overflows, memory corruption, or other memory-related issues. This type of vulnerability aligns with CWE-125, which describes out-of-bounds read conditions, and CWE-787, which covers out-of-bounds write operations. The memory corruption issues could manifest as heap corruption, stack corruption, or other memory management failures that would cause the applications to crash or behave unpredictably.
The operational impact of CVE-2009-3072 extends beyond simple denial of service scenarios, as the vulnerability could potentially enable remote code execution under certain conditions. Attackers could craft malicious web pages or email content containing specially formatted BinHex data that, when processed by the affected applications, would trigger the memory corruption. This could result in complete application compromise, allowing attackers to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the affected user. The vulnerability affects both web browsing and email client functionality, making it particularly dangerous in environments where users frequently access untrusted content. The attack vector involves remote exploitation through web pages or email attachments, requiring no local privileges or user interaction beyond normal browsing or email reading activities.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2009-3072 primarily focus on immediate patch deployment and application updates to versions that contain the necessary security fixes. Organizations should prioritize updating all affected Mozilla applications to their patched versions, specifically Firefox 3.0.14 and 3.5.3, Thunderbird 2.0.0.24, and SeaMonkey 1.1.19. Additionally, network administrators should consider implementing web content filtering solutions that can block or sanitize BinHex encoded content, particularly in high-risk environments. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of robust input validation and memory management practices, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1059 for command and scripting interpreter and T1203 for Exploitation for Client Execution. Security monitoring should include detection of unusual memory allocation patterns or application crashes that might indicate exploitation attempts, while system hardening measures such as address space layout randomization and data execution prevention should be enabled to reduce the impact of potential exploitation.