CVE-2010-1988 in Firefox
Summary
by MITRE
Mozilla Firefox 3.6.3 on Windows XP SP3 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (NULL pointer dereference and application crash) or possibly execute arbitrary code via JavaScript code that performs certain string concatenation and substring operations, a different vulnerability than CVE-2009-1571.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/05/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2010-1988 represents a critical security flaw in Mozilla Firefox version 3.6.3 running on Windows XP SP3 systems. This issue manifests as a NULL pointer dereference condition that can be triggered through carefully crafted JavaScript code executed within the browser environment. The vulnerability specifically arises during string manipulation operations involving concatenation and substring functions, making it particularly dangerous as these are common JavaScript operations used in web applications. The flaw demonstrates characteristics of a heap-based buffer overflow condition that can lead to unpredictable behavior in the affected browser.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when JavaScript code performs specific sequences of string concatenation followed by substring operations that result in malformed memory references. When Firefox processes these operations, the browser's JavaScript engine fails to properly validate the string boundaries and memory allocation, leading to a situation where a NULL pointer is dereferenced during the string processing routine. This type of vulnerability falls under the CWE-476 category of NULL Pointer Dereference, which is classified as a common weakness in software security implementations. The attack vector is particularly insidious because it requires only a web page containing malicious JavaScript code to be loaded in the browser, making it easily exploitable through phishing attacks or compromised websites.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service conditions to potentially enabling remote code execution capabilities. While the primary effect is application crash and system instability, the underlying memory corruption can be leveraged by attackers to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the running browser process. This represents a significant escalation from basic denial of service attacks and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for JavaScript-based execution. The vulnerability affects the browser's JavaScript engine specifically, which means that successful exploitation could allow attackers to bypass security boundaries, access sensitive user data, or potentially escalate privileges within the compromised system.
The exploitation of CVE-2010-1988 requires minimal user interaction beyond visiting a malicious website, making it particularly dangerous in real-world scenarios. The vulnerability is specific to Firefox 3.6.3 on Windows XP SP3, indicating that the issue stems from the interaction between the browser's JavaScript engine and the Windows operating system memory management. This particular version of Firefox was vulnerable due to inadequate bounds checking in the string manipulation routines, which failed to account for certain edge cases in string concatenation operations. The vulnerability is distinct from CVE-2009-1571, indicating that multiple similar issues exist within the same codebase, suggesting a systemic problem in how string operations are handled throughout the JavaScript engine implementation.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability focus primarily on immediate software updates and patches provided by Mozilla. Users should upgrade to Firefox version 3.6.4 or later, which contains fixes for this specific vulnerability. Additionally, system administrators should implement browser security policies that restrict JavaScript execution in sensitive environments, though this approach is less effective given the nature of web browsing. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper bounds checking in string manipulation operations and serves as a reminder of the critical need for thorough input validation in web browser implementations. Organizations should also consider implementing network-based security controls and web application firewalls to detect and block malicious JavaScript content that may attempt to exploit this and similar vulnerabilities.