CVE-2012-0445 in Firefox
Summary
by MITRE
Mozilla Firefox 4.x through 9.0, Thunderbird 5.0 through 9.0, and SeaMonkey before 2.7 allow remote attackers to bypass the HTML5 frame-navigation policy and replace arbitrary sub-frames by creating a form submission target with a sub-frame s name attribute.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/20/2021
The vulnerability described in CVE-2012-0445 represents a significant security flaw in Mozilla Firefox versions 4.0 through 9.0, Thunderbird versions 5.0 through 9.0, and SeaMonkey versions prior to 2.7. This issue stems from improper handling of HTML5 frame navigation policies, specifically when form submission targets are manipulated through sub-frame name attributes. The flaw allows remote attackers to exploit the browser's frame management system in ways that were not intended by the HTML5 specification, creating a dangerous bypass mechanism that undermines fundamental web security boundaries.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability exploits the interaction between HTML5 frame navigation policies and form submission mechanisms. When a malicious web page creates a form with a submission target that references a sub-frame using the name attribute, the browser's frame management system fails to properly validate or restrict this navigation behavior. This allows attackers to replace arbitrary sub-frames with content controlled by the malicious actor, effectively breaking the isolation that should exist between different frames within a web page. The flaw operates at the core of HTML5's frame handling specifications, where the expected behavior of frame navigation is subverted by manipulating the target attribute of form submissions.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is substantial as it enables attackers to perform sophisticated cross-frame attacks that could lead to various security consequences. An attacker could use this vulnerability to inject malicious content into specific sub-frames, potentially bypassing security controls that rely on frame isolation. This could result in information disclosure, session hijacking, or the execution of unauthorized actions within the context of the victim's browser session. The vulnerability particularly affects web applications that depend on frame-based security models or that use sub-frames for sensitive operations, as it allows attackers to manipulate the frame hierarchy in unexpected ways.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-225, which deals with "Improper Handling of Incomplete or Missing Data," and relates to the broader category of web application security flaws that affect browser implementations. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this issue maps to techniques involving web-based attacks and browser exploitation, specifically targeting the browser's security boundaries and frame management systems. The vulnerability demonstrates a classic case of insufficient input validation and improper access control enforcement within the browser's HTML processing engine. The flaw underscores the importance of proper implementation of HTML5 specifications and the need for comprehensive security testing of browser components that handle complex navigation scenarios, particularly those involving form submissions and frame manipulation.
Organizations should immediately update their browser installations to versions that contain patches for this vulnerability, as the risk of exploitation remains high given the widespread use of affected software versions. Security teams should also monitor for indicators of compromise related to this specific vulnerability in their network traffic and implement appropriate web filtering measures to block access to known malicious domains that may exploit this issue. The vulnerability highlights the critical need for regular security updates and the importance of maintaining current browser versions to protect against known exploits that target core browser functionality.