CVE-2010-2764 in Firefox
Summary
by MITRE
Mozilla Firefox before 3.5.12 and 3.6.x before 3.6.9, Thunderbird before 3.0.7 and 3.1.x before 3.1.3, and SeaMonkey before 2.0.7 do not properly restrict read access to the statusText property of XMLHttpRequest objects, which allows remote attackers to discover the existence of intranet web servers via cross-origin requests.
Be aware that VulDB is the high quality source for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/24/2021
This vulnerability represents a critical information disclosure flaw in Mozilla's web browser applications that affects multiple products including Firefox, Thunderbird, and SeaMonkey across several version ranges. The issue stems from improper access control mechanisms within the XMLHttpRequest API implementation, specifically concerning the statusText property of XMLHttpRequest objects. When remote attackers conduct cross-origin requests, they can exploit this weakness to determine whether specific intranet web servers are accessible or exist within the network infrastructure. This occurs because the browser's security model fails to adequately restrict read access to the statusText property, which typically contains server response information that should remain protected from unauthorized cross-origin access.
The technical flaw manifests in the way XMLHttpRequest objects handle statusText property access across different origin boundaries. In normal operation, cross-origin requests should be restricted to prevent unauthorized information leakage, but Firefox and related applications fail to enforce these restrictions properly for the statusText property. This allows attackers to perform reconnaissance attacks by making cross-origin requests to various intranet endpoints and observing the responses or lack thereof. The vulnerability particularly impacts environments where internal web services are not properly isolated from external access, creating a pathway for attackers to map internal network structures through careful analysis of response characteristics. The flaw operates at the application layer and leverages the browser's inherent cross-origin resource sharing mechanisms to bypass normal security boundaries.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure to enable more sophisticated attack vectors including network reconnaissance, service enumeration, and potentially leading to further exploitation opportunities. Attackers can systematically test various intranet endpoints and determine which services are accessible, providing them with valuable intelligence for planning more targeted attacks. This information leakage can reveal the presence of internal web applications, databases, or other sensitive systems that might otherwise remain hidden from external observation. The vulnerability particularly affects enterprise environments where internal web services are exposed to the internet or where network segmentation is not properly enforced, creating a significant risk for organizations with complex network infrastructures. Organizations may experience cascading security implications as attackers use this information to identify potential attack surfaces and develop more effective exploitation strategies.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-200, which addresses information disclosure issues, and represents a specific implementation weakness in cross-origin resource sharing controls. From an attack framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques described in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under reconnaissance and initial access phases, where adversaries gather intelligence about target networks and systems. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including updating to the patched versions of Firefox, Thunderbird, and SeaMonkey as specified in the CVE details, which address the improper access control restrictions. Network-level protections such as proper firewall configurations, web application firewalls, and intrusion detection systems can provide additional layers of defense. Additionally, implementing strict cross-origin resource sharing policies and monitoring for unusual cross-origin request patterns can help detect exploitation attempts. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify similar access control weaknesses in other applications and systems within the organization's infrastructure.