CVE-2011-3005 in Firefox
Summary
by MITRE
Use-after-free vulnerability in Mozilla Firefox 4.x through 6, Thunderbird before 7.0, and SeaMonkey before 2.4 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (application crash) or possibly execute arbitrary code via crafted OGG headers in a .ogg file.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/20/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2011-3005 represents a critical use-after-free flaw affecting multiple Mozilla-based applications including Firefox versions 4.x through 6, Thunderbird versions prior to 7.0, and SeaMonkey versions before 2.4. This vulnerability stems from improper memory management during the processing of OGG multimedia files, specifically when handling crafted OGG headers within .ogg file containers. The flaw occurs when the application attempts to access memory that has already been freed, creating a dangerous condition that can be exploited by remote attackers to manipulate application behavior.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the multimedia decoding subsystem within these applications, where OGG file headers are parsed without adequate validation of header structures. When maliciously crafted OGG headers are processed, they trigger a sequence of memory operations that result in a use-after-free condition. This condition manifests when the application's memory allocator frees a memory block while references to that block still exist within the application's execution context. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it can be triggered through web content or email attachments, making it accessible to remote attackers without requiring local system access.
The operational impact of CVE-2011-3005 extends beyond simple denial of service scenarios to potentially enable arbitrary code execution. When exploited successfully, attackers can leverage the use-after-free condition to overwrite memory locations with malicious code or manipulate program execution flow, effectively allowing for remote code execution within the context of the affected application. This capability transforms what might initially appear as a denial of service vulnerability into a potentially severe security threat that could compromise user systems and data. The vulnerability's impact is amplified by the widespread adoption of these applications, making it a significant concern for enterprise and individual users alike.
The vulnerability maps directly to CWE-416, which specifically addresses the use of freed memory condition, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for remote code execution through application vulnerabilities. Mitigation strategies should include immediate deployment of vendor security patches, implementation of content filtering for OGG multimedia files, and network-level protections to prevent access to potentially malicious content. Additionally, users should be educated about the risks of opening untrusted multimedia files and organizations should consider implementing sandboxing mechanisms for multimedia processing. The remediation process involves updating to patched versions of affected applications, with particular attention to Thunderbird 7.0, Firefox 7.0, and SeaMonkey 2.4, as these releases contain the necessary memory management fixes to prevent the exploitation of this use-after-free condition.