CVE-2012-4181 in Firefox
Summary
by MITRE
Use-after-free vulnerability in the nsSMILAnimationController::DoSample function 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 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (heap memory corruption) via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/22/2024
The vulnerability described in CVE-2012-4181 represents a critical use-after-free condition within the nsSMILAnimationController::DoSample function of Mozilla's browser engine. This flaw exists in multiple products including Firefox versions prior to 16.0, Firefox ESR 10.x versions prior to 10.0.8, Thunderbird versions prior to 16.0, Thunderbird ESR 10.x versions prior to 10.0.8, and SeaMonkey versions prior to 2.13. The issue stems from improper memory management where a pointer continues to reference freed memory locations, creating opportunities for malicious code execution or system instability. The vulnerability operates within the SMIL (Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language) animation processing subsystem which handles multimedia content rendering in web browsers.
The technical implementation of this use-after-free vulnerability occurs during the execution of the DoSample function which processes animation timing and sampling operations. When the function processes certain animation sequences, it may free memory associated with animation objects while still maintaining references to those objects in subsequent processing steps. This creates a scenario where attackers can manipulate the memory state to cause the application to dereference freed memory locations, potentially leading to heap corruption. The unspecified vectors suggest that multiple attack scenarios could trigger this condition through various means such as crafted web pages containing malicious SMIL animations, embedded multimedia content, or manipulated CSS animations that interact with the affected component.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risks to users of affected Mozilla products, particularly in environments where users browse untrusted web content. The potential for remote code execution makes this a severe threat that could allow attackers to gain full control of affected systems. The heap memory corruption aspect means that successful exploitation could lead to arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the affected application, potentially enabling privilege escalation attacks. Additionally, the vulnerability could be exploited for denial of service attacks, causing browsers to crash or become unresponsive, which would disrupt user productivity and potentially be used as part of larger attack campaigns.
Security professionals should note that this vulnerability aligns with CWE-416, which specifically addresses use-after-free conditions in software implementations. The attack patterns associated with this flaw would likely follow techniques described in the ATT&CK framework under T1059 for command and scripting interpreter execution, as attackers could leverage the memory corruption to inject malicious code. Organizations should prioritize immediate patching of affected versions, as the vulnerability affects multiple Mozilla products and has been actively exploited in the wild. The remediation process requires updating to patched versions of Firefox, Thunderbird, and SeaMonkey, with particular attention to the ESR versions that are commonly used in enterprise environments. Additionally, implementing network-based protections such as web application firewalls and content filtering systems can provide additional layers of defense while waiting for patches to be deployed across all affected systems.