CVE-2009-3079 in Firefox
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in Mozilla Firefox before 3.0.14, and 3.5.x before 3.5.3, allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary JavaScript with chrome privileges via vectors involving an object, the FeedWriter, and the BrowserFeedWriter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/07/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2009-3079 represents a critical security flaw in Mozilla Firefox browser versions prior to 3.0.14 and 3.5.x versions before 3.5.3. This issue falls under the category of privilege escalation vulnerabilities that could potentially allow remote attackers to execute malicious JavaScript code with elevated chrome privileges. The vulnerability specifically affects the interaction between objects within the browser's feed handling mechanisms, particularly involving the FeedWriter and BrowserFeedWriter components. The unspecified nature of the vulnerability description suggests that the core technical flaw involves improper handling of object references or memory management within these specific browser components, creating a pathway for attackers to bypass normal security restrictions.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through a sophisticated attack vector that leverages the FeedWriter and BrowserFeedWriter objects to manipulate the browser's chrome privileges. These components are responsible for handling feed content and browser integration features, making them attractive targets for attackers seeking to elevate their execution context. The flaw likely stems from inadequate input validation or improper access controls when processing feed-related data structures, allowing malicious code to be injected and executed with the elevated privileges typically reserved for browser chrome code. This type of vulnerability aligns with CWE-20, which covers improper input validation, and CWE-264, which addresses permissions, properties, and rights issues in software development.
From an operational standpoint, this vulnerability presents significant risk to users who browse the web with affected Firefox versions, particularly when accessing untrusted websites or content feeds. Attackers could craft malicious feeds or web pages that exploit this vulnerability to execute arbitrary JavaScript code with chrome privileges, potentially leading to complete browser compromise, data theft, or further exploitation of the underlying system. The impact extends beyond simple privilege escalation as the chrome privileges typically provide access to browser internals, user data, and system resources that normal web content should not be able to access. This vulnerability could enable attackers to perform actions such as reading and modifying user preferences, accessing cookies and cached data, or even manipulating other browser extensions and plugins.
The remediation for this vulnerability requires immediate updating of affected Firefox installations to versions 3.0.14 or 3.5.3 and later, which contain the necessary patches to address the object handling and privilege escalation issues. Security administrators should prioritize this update across all organization systems, as the vulnerability affects widely used browser versions. Additional mitigations include implementing network-level controls to filter potentially malicious feed content, disabling automatic feed processing where possible, and maintaining comprehensive monitoring for suspicious browser behavior. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper privilege separation in browser security models and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for JavaScript execution and T1068 for privilege escalation through application vulnerabilities. Organizations should also consider implementing browser hardening measures and regular security assessments to identify similar issues in other browser components or third-party applications that may be similarly affected by object manipulation and privilege escalation flaws.