CVE-2013-1707 in Firefox
Summary
by MITRE
Stack-based buffer overflow in Mozilla Updater in Mozilla Firefox before 23.0, Firefox ESR 17.x before 17.0.8, Thunderbird before 17.0.8, and Thunderbird ESR 17.x before 17.0.8 allows local users to gain privileges via a long pathname on the command line to the Mozilla Maintenance Service.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/21/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2013-1707 represents a critical stack-based buffer overflow flaw within the Mozilla Updater component of several Mozilla applications including Firefox and Thunderbird. This vulnerability specifically affects versions prior to Firefox 23.0 and Firefox ESR 17.x before 17.0.8, as well as Thunderbird versions before 17.0.8 and Thunderbird ESR 17.x before 17.0.8. The flaw occurs within the Mozilla Maintenance Service which is responsible for updating the browser and related applications. The vulnerability arises from insufficient input validation when processing command line arguments, particularly when handling long pathnames that are passed to the maintenance service during the update process.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability hinges on the manipulation of command line parameters passed to the Mozilla Maintenance Service. When a local attacker provides an excessively long pathname as a command line argument, the service fails to properly validate the input length before copying it onto the stack. This results in a classic stack buffer overflow condition where the excessive data overflows into adjacent memory locations, potentially corrupting the stack frame and allowing arbitrary code execution. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it operates at the privilege level of the maintenance service, which typically runs with elevated permissions necessary for system-level updates. According to CWE-121, this represents a stack-based buffer overflow vulnerability that allows for privilege escalation through improper input handling and insufficient bounds checking.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple local privilege escalation to potentially enable more sophisticated attacks within a compromised system. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability can execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the Mozilla Maintenance Service, which may include system-level access. This creates a significant risk for users who have administrative privileges or are running the maintenance service with elevated permissions. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where automated updates are common and where the maintenance service might be configured to run with broader system access rights. From an attack perspective, this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1068, which covers 'Local Privilege Escalation' through the exploitation of software vulnerabilities.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2013-1707 primarily focus on immediate version updates to patched releases of the affected Mozilla applications. Organizations should prioritize updating all instances of Firefox, Firefox ESR, Thunderbird, and Thunderbird ESR to versions that include the relevant security patches. Additionally, system administrators should implement strict input validation policies for command line arguments and consider restricting the execution of the Mozilla Maintenance Service to minimal necessary privileges. Network segmentation and access controls can help limit the potential impact of exploitation attempts, while regular security monitoring should be implemented to detect unauthorized access attempts. The vulnerability underscores the importance of maintaining current software versions and highlights the critical need for proper input validation and bounds checking in system services that handle external input. Security teams should also consider implementing application whitelisting policies to prevent execution of unpatched versions of the maintenance service.