CVE-2015-7201 in Firefox
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple unspecified vulnerabilities in the browser engine in Mozilla Firefox before 43.0 and Firefox ESR 38.x before 38.5 allow remote attackers to cause a denial of service (memory corruption and application crash) or possibly execute arbitrary code via unknown vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/23/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-7201 represents a critical security flaw within the browser engine of Mozilla Firefox versions prior to 43.0 and Firefox ESR 38.x versions prior to 38.5. This issue falls under the category of unspecified vulnerabilities, indicating that the exact nature of the underlying technical flaw was not fully disclosed in the initial advisory but was known to pose significant risks to system integrity and user safety. The affected browser engine components are responsible for processing web content and executing JavaScript code, making them prime targets for exploitation by malicious actors seeking to compromise user systems. These vulnerabilities are particularly dangerous because they can be triggered through normal web browsing activities without requiring any special privileges or user interaction beyond visiting a malicious website.
The technical exploitation of CVE-2015-7201 manifests through memory corruption issues that can lead to application crashes or potentially allow remote code execution. The memory corruption vulnerabilities typically arise from improper handling of memory allocation and deallocation during web page rendering or JavaScript execution processes. Attackers can craft malicious web pages that, when loaded in affected Firefox versions, trigger buffer overflows, use-after-free conditions, or other memory management errors within the browser engine. These conditions create opportunities for attackers to manipulate memory contents in ways that could lead to arbitrary code execution or complete system compromise. The unspecified nature of the vulnerability vectors suggests that multiple attack surfaces within the browser engine were affected, making it difficult for security teams to implement targeted patches without comprehensive code review.
The operational impact of CVE-2015-7201 extends beyond simple denial of service scenarios to potentially enable full system compromise. When exploited, these vulnerabilities can allow attackers to execute malicious code with the privileges of the user running Firefox, effectively providing a backdoor into the victim's system. The memory corruption aspects of these vulnerabilities make them particularly challenging to detect and mitigate, as they often manifest as intermittent crashes or unexpected behavior rather than obvious security breaches. Organizations using affected Firefox versions face significant risk exposure, as these vulnerabilities can be leveraged to install malware, steal sensitive data, or establish persistent access to compromised systems. The remote exploitation capability means that attackers do not need physical access to target systems, making these vulnerabilities particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where users may inadvertently visit compromised websites.
Security mitigations for CVE-2015-7201 primarily focus on immediate version updates to Firefox 43.0 or Firefox ESR 38.5 and later versions. System administrators should prioritize rolling out these updates across all affected systems to eliminate the risk of exploitation. Additional protective measures include implementing web content filtering solutions, enabling sandboxing features within Firefox, and deploying network-based intrusion detection systems to monitor for exploitation attempts. The vulnerability aligns with several ATT&CK framework techniques including T1059 for command and scripting interpreter and T1070 for indicator removal on host, as attackers may attempt to establish persistence or cover their tracks after successful exploitation. Organizations should also consider implementing browser hardening practices such as disabling unnecessary browser features, restricting JavaScript execution in sensitive environments, and maintaining comprehensive security monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts. The CWE mapping for this vulnerability category typically includes entries related to memory corruption issues and improper handling of memory management within web browser engines, highlighting the fundamental architectural challenges in modern browser security design.