CVE-2012-5354 in Thunderbird
Summary
by MITRE
Mozilla Firefox before 16.0, Thunderbird before 16.0, and SeaMonkey before 2.13 do not properly handle navigation away from a web page that has multiple menus of SELECT elements active, which allows remote attackers to conduct clickjacking attacks via vectors involving an XPI file, the window.open method, and the Geolocation API, a different vulnerability than CVE-2012-3984.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/19/2021
This vulnerability exists in Mozilla Firefox versions prior to 16.0, Thunderbird versions prior to 16.0, and SeaMonkey versions prior to 2.13 where the browser fails to properly manage navigation when multiple SELECT elements are active on a web page. The flaw manifests when a user navigates away from a page containing multiple active menu selections, creating a condition that can be exploited by malicious actors to execute clickjacking attacks. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it leverages the interaction between multiple browser components including XPI file handling, window.open functionality, and the Geolocation API to create attack vectors that differ from previously known vulnerabilities such as CVE-2012-3984. The technical implementation involves improper state management when transitioning between web pages, specifically when dealing with multiple active SELECT menus that maintain their interactive state during navigation events. This creates a window of opportunity where attackers can manipulate user interactions by overlaying transparent or invisible elements that capture user clicks intended for legitimate interface elements. The vulnerability maps to CWE-428, which addresses improper handling of untrusted input, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1056.001 for input injection attacks. The security implications extend beyond simple clickjacking as the combination of XPI file execution, window.open method manipulation, and Geolocation API access creates a multi-vector attack surface that can be exploited to harvest user credentials or perform unauthorized actions. The flaw represents a failure in browser security model implementation where the navigation handling mechanism does not adequately account for complex user interface states involving multiple interactive elements. Attackers can exploit this by creating malicious web pages that utilize the specific combination of browser features to bypass normal security boundaries and execute unauthorized operations. The impact is significant as users may unknowingly interact with malicious overlays while believing they are performing legitimate browser operations. Organizations should implement immediate patching of affected browser versions to address this vulnerability, while security teams should monitor for potential exploitation attempts that leverage the specific combination of XPI, window.open, and Geolocation API interactions. The vulnerability demonstrates the complexity of modern browser security and the importance of proper state management during navigation events, particularly when dealing with multiple interactive UI components that maintain their context across page transitions. This flaw underscores the necessity of comprehensive security testing that covers edge cases involving multi-element interactions and navigation state transitions.