CVE-2011-3664 in Firefox
Summary
by MITRE
Mozilla Firefox before 9.0, Thunderbird before 9.0, and SeaMonkey before 2.6 on Mac OS X do not properly handle certain DOM frame deletions by plugins, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (incorrect pointer dereference and application crash) or possibly have unspecified other impact via a crafted web site.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/09/2017
This vulnerability exists in Mozilla Firefox versions prior to 9.0, Thunderbird versions prior to 9.0, and SeaMonkey versions prior to 2.6 running on Mac OS X operating systems. The flaw stems from improper handling of DOM frame deletions when initiated by browser plugins, creating a critical security gap that can be exploited remotely. The issue manifests when malicious web content triggers specific conditions that cause the browser to incorrectly process frame deletion operations, leading to memory corruption scenarios.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves a race condition or memory management error within the browser's rendering engine where plugin interactions with the Document Object Model create inconsistent states. When plugins attempt to delete DOM frames in specific sequences or under particular timing conditions, the browser's memory management system fails to properly validate the deletion operations. This results in incorrect pointer dereferences that can cause the application to crash immediately or potentially lead to more severe consequences including arbitrary code execution. The vulnerability specifically affects Mac OS X platforms, suggesting platform-specific memory management or threading behaviors that exacerbate the issue.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability represents a significant risk to end users as it can be triggered through simple web browsing activities without requiring any special privileges or user interaction beyond visiting a malicious website. Attackers can craft web pages that exploit this flaw to deliver denial of service attacks, effectively rendering the browser unusable for the victim. The potential for unspecified other impacts suggests that under certain conditions, this vulnerability could be escalated to more serious consequences including privilege escalation or remote code execution, making it particularly dangerous in targeted attack scenarios.
The vulnerability maps to CWE-125 in the Common Weakness Enumeration, which describes out-of-bounds read conditions that can occur when software does not properly validate memory access operations. Additionally, this issue aligns with ATT&CK technique T1203 in the MITRE ATT&CK framework, which covers exploitation of software vulnerabilities for privilege escalation and denial of service attacks. The attack surface is broad as it affects multiple Mozilla products and can be delivered through standard web content, making it an attractive target for threat actors seeking to compromise user systems. Organizations should prioritize patching affected versions of these applications, as the vulnerability represents a critical security risk that can be exploited without user interaction.
Mitigation strategies should include immediate deployment of security patches for Firefox 9.0, Thunderbird 9.0, and SeaMonkey 2.6 releases, which contain the necessary fixes for the DOM frame deletion handling. Network administrators should implement web filtering solutions to block access to known malicious domains until patches can be deployed, while security teams should monitor for exploitation attempts through endpoint detection and response systems. Regular vulnerability assessments should be conducted to identify systems running unpatched versions of these applications, particularly in enterprise environments where legacy software may persist. Additionally, user education regarding the importance of keeping software up to date remains critical, as this vulnerability can be exploited through simple web browsing without any special user actions required.