CVE-2011-0070 in Firefox
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in the browser engine in Mozilla Firefox 3.5.x before 3.5.19, 3.6.x before 3.6.17, and 4.x before 4.0.1; Thunderbird before 3.1.10; and SeaMonkey before 2.0.14 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (memory corruption and application crash) or possibly execute arbitrary code via unknown vectors, a different vulnerability than CVE-2011-0069.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/06/2021
This vulnerability resides within the browser engine of Mozilla Firefox and its related applications including Thunderbird and SeaMonkey, representing a critical security flaw that affects multiple software versions. The issue manifests as an unspecified vulnerability in the rendering engine that processes web content, creating potential attack vectors for remote adversaries. The vulnerability specifically impacts Firefox versions 3.5.x before 3.5.19, 3.6.x before 3.6.17, and 4.x before 4.0.1, alongside Thunderbird versions before 3.1.10 and SeaMonkey versions before 2.0.14, indicating a widespread problem across Mozilla's product ecosystem.
The technical nature of this vulnerability involves memory corruption that can occur during the processing of malformed web content or specific browser engine operations. Attackers can exploit this weakness through carefully crafted web pages or content that triggers unexpected behavior in the browser's memory management system. The flaw allows for both denial of service conditions where applications crash due to corrupted memory states and potentially more severe arbitrary code execution scenarios where malicious code can be injected and executed within the browser's context. This dual nature makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous as it can be leveraged for both disrupting user sessions and establishing persistent malicious footholds.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple application crashes to potentially compromise entire user systems. When exploited for arbitrary code execution, attackers can gain control over user browsers and potentially escalate privileges to execute malicious payloads. The memory corruption aspect creates instability that can be used to bypass security mechanisms or manipulate application behavior in unpredictable ways. Users running affected versions face significant risk when browsing the internet or opening email messages containing malicious content, as the exploitation can occur without user interaction in many scenarios.
Security mitigations for this vulnerability primarily involve immediate software updates to the patched versions of affected applications. Organizations should prioritize deployment of Firefox 3.5.19, 3.6.17, and 4.0.1 releases along with Thunderbird 3.1.10 and SeaMonkey 2.0.14 updates. System administrators should implement comprehensive patch management procedures to ensure all affected software is updated promptly. Network security controls including web proxies and content filtering systems can provide additional protection layers, though these should not be relied upon as primary defenses. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-119 which describes weaknesses in memory handling and management, and may be categorized under ATT&CK techniques related to privilege escalation and code injection. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify any remaining unpatched systems within organizational networks.