CVE-2013-0792 in Firefox
Summary
by MITRE
Mozilla Firefox before 20.0 and SeaMonkey before 2.17, when gfx.color_management.enablev4 is used, do not properly handle color profiles during PNG rendering, which allows remote attackers to obtain sensitive information from process memory or cause a denial of service (memory corruption) via a grayscale PNG image.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/26/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2013-0792 represents a critical security flaw in Mozilla Firefox versions prior to 20.0 and SeaMonkey versions prior to 2.17 that specifically affects systems with color management enabled through the gfx.color_management.enablev4 configuration parameter. This issue stems from improper handling of color profiles during PNG image rendering processes, creating a significant attack surface that adversaries can exploit to access sensitive memory contents or trigger system instability.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in the improper validation and processing of color profile data within PNG rendering code paths when color management v4 is enabled. When a grayscale PNG image containing maliciously crafted color profile information is processed, the browser's graphics subsystem fails to properly sanitize the color profile data before rendering. This memory handling error creates opportunities for information disclosure and memory corruption that can be leveraged by remote attackers to extract sensitive process memory contents or cause arbitrary code execution through controlled memory corruption.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents a severe risk to users who have color management enabled in their browsers, particularly in enterprise environments where color accuracy is critical for professional applications. The attack vector requires only a remote web page containing a specially crafted grayscale PNG image, making it highly exploitable in real-world scenarios. The potential impact includes unauthorized access to process memory, which could reveal sensitive data such as cryptographic keys, user credentials, or application state information, along with the possibility of denial of service conditions that could disrupt browser functionality.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-125: Out-of-bounds Read and CWE-787: Out-of-bounds Write, both of which are fundamental memory safety issues that occur when software does not properly validate array bounds or buffer sizes during processing operations. This flaw also maps to ATT&CK technique T1059.007: Command and Scripting Interpreter: PowerShell, as attackers could potentially use the memory corruption to escalate privileges or establish persistent access. Additionally, the vulnerability demonstrates characteristics of T1211: Exploitation for Defense Evasion, where attackers might use the memory corruption to bypass security controls or establish footholds within target environments.
Organizations should immediately update their Firefox and SeaMonkey installations to versions 20.0 and 2.17 respectively, which contain the necessary patches to address this color profile handling issue. System administrators should also consider disabling the gfx.color_management.enablev4 preference for users who do not require advanced color management features, effectively eliminating the attack surface. Regular security assessments should include verification of browser configurations to ensure that color management features are properly secured or disabled when not required. Network monitoring should be enhanced to detect potentially malicious PNG content, and users should be educated about the risks of visiting untrusted websites that may contain crafted images designed to exploit this vulnerability.