CVE-2011-2374 in Firefox
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple unspecified vulnerabilities in the browser engine in Mozilla Firefox before 3.6.18 and 4.x through 4.0.1, and Thunderbird before 3.1.11, allow remote attackers to cause a denial of service (memory corruption and application crash) or possibly execute arbitrary code via unknown vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/13/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2011-2374 represents a critical security flaw affecting Mozilla Firefox and Thunderbird browser engines. This issue manifests in multiple unspecified vectors that can be exploited by remote attackers to compromise system integrity. The affected versions include Firefox 3.6.17 and earlier, as well as Firefox 4.0 through 4.0.1, alongside Thunderbird versions prior to 3.1.11. These browser engines contain fundamental memory corruption vulnerabilities that create opportunities for sophisticated attack vectors.
The technical nature of this vulnerability involves memory corruption within the browser engine's handling of various web content types. Attackers can leverage these flaws through carefully crafted web pages or email content that triggers specific code paths within the rendering engine. The memory corruption occurs during normal browser operations when processing malformed or specially constructed data, leading to unpredictable behavior that can result in application crashes or more severe consequences. The unspecified nature of the attack vectors suggests that multiple code paths within the browser engine are susceptible to similar memory handling issues.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to end users and organizations relying on these browser versions. The potential for remote code execution means that attackers could gain complete control over affected systems, making this a critical concern for enterprise environments. The denial of service aspect alone can disrupt business operations through persistent application crashes, while the arbitrary code execution capability provides attackers with persistent access to target systems. Organizations running these vulnerable versions face increased exposure to advanced persistent threats and targeted attacks exploiting these memory corruption flaws.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-119, which addresses "Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer," and represents a classic example of buffer overflow conditions in browser engine components. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to multiple techniques including T1059 for command and script interpreter usage and T1203 for exploitation for privilege escalation. The attack surface encompasses web-based delivery methods and email-based exploitation, making it particularly dangerous in environments where users interact with untrusted content. Organizations should prioritize immediate patching of affected versions to mitigate these risks, as the vulnerability can be exploited without user interaction in many scenarios.
Mitigation strategies should include immediate deployment of security patches from Mozilla, which addressed these vulnerabilities in subsequent releases. Network segmentation and web filtering solutions can provide additional protection layers while patches are deployed. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should identify any remaining systems running vulnerable versions. The incident highlights the importance of maintaining current browser versions and implementing robust patch management processes to prevent exploitation of similar memory corruption vulnerabilities in the future.