CVE-2012-3988 in Firefox
Summary
by MITRE
Use-after-free vulnerability in Mozilla Firefox before 16.0, Firefox ESR 10.x before 10.0.8, Thunderbird before 16.0, Thunderbird ESR 10.x before 10.0.8, and SeaMonkey before 2.13 might allow user-assisted remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via vectors involving use of mozRequestFullScreen to enter full-screen mode, and use of the history.back method for backwards history navigation.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/22/2024
This vulnerability represents a critical use-after-free flaw in Mozilla's browser ecosystem that affected multiple products including Firefox, Thunderbird, and SeaMonkey across several version ranges. The vulnerability arises from improper memory management when handling full-screen mode transitions and history navigation operations. Attackers could exploit this by crafting malicious web content that triggers the mozRequestFullScreen API to enter full-screen mode while simultaneously manipulating the browser history through the history.back method. The underlying technical issue occurs when the browser fails to properly release memory references associated with DOM elements or JavaScript objects that are being used in the full-screen transition process, creating a scenario where freed memory can be accessed and potentially overwritten by subsequent operations.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple code execution as it provides attackers with a sophisticated attack vector that requires minimal user interaction to succeed. The use-after-free condition creates a memory corruption state that can be leveraged to inject and execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the victim's browser process. This represents a classic remote code execution vulnerability that aligns with ATT&CK technique T1203 for legitimate system interactions and CWE-416 for use-after-free conditions. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it operates within the context of web browsers where users frequently visit untrusted websites, making the attack surface extremely broad and the exploitation potential high.
The exploitation of this vulnerability requires a specific sequence of browser operations that creates a race condition in memory management. When the mozRequestFullScreen method is called in conjunction with history.back navigation, the browser's internal state management becomes inconsistent, leading to memory deallocation that occurs before all references to the freed memory are properly cleared. This creates a window where attacker-controlled data can be written to the freed memory location, potentially overwriting function pointers or other critical data structures. The vulnerability demonstrates how seemingly benign browser APIs can be combined to create dangerous memory corruption conditions, making it a prime example of how modern web browser security must account for complex interaction patterns between different API surfaces.
Organizations and users affected by this vulnerability should prioritize immediate patching of all impacted software versions to prevent exploitation. The recommended mitigation strategy involves updating to the patched versions of Firefox 16.0, Thunderbird 16.0, and SeaMonkey 2.13, while also implementing additional security measures such as browser hardening configurations and network-level protections. Security teams should monitor for exploitation attempts through network traffic analysis and browser security logs, as the vulnerability typically manifests through specific API usage patterns. The incident highlights the importance of comprehensive memory safety testing and the need for robust input validation in web browser implementations, particularly when handling complex multi-step operations that involve DOM manipulation and state transitions. This vulnerability serves as a reminder of how subtle memory management issues in complex software systems can create severe security risks that require careful attention to proper resource cleanup and reference management protocols.