CVE-2013-1680 in Firefox
Summary
by MITRE
Use-after-free vulnerability in the nsFrameList::FirstChild function in Mozilla Firefox before 21.0, Firefox ESR 17.x before 17.0.6, Thunderbird before 17.0.6, and Thunderbird ESR 17.x before 17.0.6 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 • 05/11/2021
The CVE-2013-1680 vulnerability represents a critical use-after-free condition affecting Mozilla Firefox and Thunderbird products across multiple versions. This flaw exists within the nsFrameList::FirstChild function, which is part of Firefox's layout engine responsible for managing document rendering and frame management. The vulnerability stems from improper memory management where freed memory locations are still referenced or accessed by subsequent operations, creating a dangerous state that can be exploited by malicious actors.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves a specific memory corruption scenario where the nsFrameList::FirstChild function fails to properly handle reference counting or memory deallocation sequences. When certain web content triggers the function with malformed or crafted input, the system may free a memory block while references to that block still exist in the execution stack. This creates a situation where subsequent operations attempt to access memory that has already been deallocated, leading to heap corruption that can be leveraged for arbitrary code execution. The vulnerability manifests through unspecified vectors, suggesting that multiple attack paths could trigger the same underlying memory management flaw.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents a severe risk to end users and organizations relying on affected browser versions. The remote exploitation capability means that attackers can craft malicious web pages or content that, when viewed by an unsuspecting user, will automatically trigger the vulnerability. The potential for arbitrary code execution provides attackers with complete system compromise capabilities, while the denial of service aspect can be used for persistent disruption attacks. The vulnerability affects not only standard Firefox releases but also the extended support releases, indicating a widespread impact across different product lines and user bases.
The exploitation of this vulnerability aligns with several ATT&CK tactics including execution through malicious web content and privilege escalation via memory corruption. From a CWE perspective, this represents a classic use-after-free vulnerability classified under CWE-416, which specifically addresses the use of freed memory. Organizations should prioritize immediate patching of affected versions, with Firefox users upgrading to version 21.0 or later, and Thunderbird users moving to version 17.0.6 or higher. Additional mitigations include implementing content filtering, restricting access to untrusted web content, and maintaining updated security tooling to detect potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability underscores the critical importance of timely security updates and proper memory management practices in browser development.