CVE-2013-1736 in Firefox
Summary
by MITRE
The nsGfxScrollFrameInner::IsLTR function in Mozilla Firefox before 24.0, Firefox ESR 17.x before 17.0.9, Thunderbird before 24.0, Thunderbird ESR 17.x before 17.0.9, and SeaMonkey before 2.21 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (memory corruption) via vectors related to improperly establishing parent-child relationships of range-request nodes.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/25/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2013-1736 represents a critical memory corruption flaw within the Gecko layout engine of Mozilla Firefox and related applications. This issue specifically affects the nsGfxScrollFrameInner::IsLTR function, which handles left-to-right text layout calculations in the browser's rendering system. The vulnerability arises from improper handling of parent-child relationships between range-request nodes, creating a condition where maliciously crafted web content can manipulate the memory structures used for text rendering and layout operations.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through carefully constructed web pages that trigger the problematic code path involving range-request node relationships. When the IsLTR function processes these malformed nodes, it fails to properly validate the hierarchical structure of the node relationships, leading to memory corruption that can be leveraged for arbitrary code execution. This flaw operates at the intersection of memory management and rendering engine logic, making it particularly dangerous as it can be triggered through standard web browsing activities without requiring user interaction beyond visiting a malicious website.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service scenarios to include potential remote code execution capabilities that could allow attackers to fully compromise affected systems. The memory corruption affects the browser's core rendering engine, which means that successful exploitation could lead to complete system compromise depending on the execution environment and privileges available to the browser process. This vulnerability affects multiple Mozilla products including Firefox, Thunderbird, and SeaMonkey across their respective version ranges, indicating a widespread impact within the Mozilla ecosystem.
Security researchers have classified this vulnerability according to CWE-121, which deals with stack-based buffer overflow conditions, and it aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter execution. The vulnerability's exploitation pathway demonstrates characteristics of heap-based memory corruption that can be leveraged for privilege escalation attacks. Organizations using affected versions of these applications face significant risk as the flaw can be exploited remotely without requiring any special privileges or user interaction beyond normal web browsing. The vulnerability requires careful monitoring and immediate patching across all affected software versions to prevent potential exploitation by threat actors.
Mitigation strategies should prioritize immediate deployment of patched versions of Firefox, Thunderbird, and SeaMonkey, with particular attention to the Firefox ESR 17.x and Thunderbird ESR 17.x branches that were specifically mentioned in the vulnerability description. System administrators should also consider implementing network-level protections such as content filtering and web application firewalls to reduce the risk of exploitation. Additionally, users should be educated about the importance of keeping their browser software updated and should avoid visiting untrusted websites that might contain malicious content designed to exploit this vulnerability. The patching process should include thorough testing in controlled environments to ensure that updates do not introduce compatibility issues with existing web applications and services.