CVE-2016-1931 in Firefox
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple unspecified vulnerabilities in the browser engine in Mozilla Firefox before 44.0 allow remote attackers to cause a denial of service (memory corruption and application crash) or possibly execute arbitrary code via vectors related to uninitialized memory encountered during brotli data compression, and other vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/06/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-1931 represents a critical security flaw within the browser engine of Mozilla Firefox versions prior to 44.0, exposing users to significant risks including denial of service conditions and potential remote code execution. This vulnerability stems from multiple unspecified issues within the browser's handling of brotli data compression, a compression algorithm designed to reduce data size while maintaining high compression ratios. The flaw specifically manifests when the browser encounters uninitialized memory during brotli decompression operations, creating exploitable conditions that adversaries can leverage for malicious purposes.
The technical nature of this vulnerability involves memory corruption issues that occur during data processing within Firefox's rendering engine. When brotli compressed data is processed, the browser engine fails to properly initialize memory segments before use, leading to unpredictable behavior when the application attempts to access these uninitialized memory locations. This uninitialized memory access pattern creates opportunities for attackers to manipulate memory contents or cause application crashes through carefully crafted malicious content. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple crashes to potentially enable arbitrary code execution, making it particularly dangerous for users who browse the internet regularly.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses substantial risks to organizations and individual users alike, as it can be exploited through various attack vectors including malicious websites, email attachments, or compromised web content. The fact that the vulnerability affects the core browser engine means that successful exploitation could lead to complete system compromise, especially when combined with other attack techniques or when users have elevated privileges. The memory corruption aspects of this vulnerability align with common attack patterns described in the attack tree framework, where memory safety issues form foundational elements for more sophisticated exploitation techniques. Organizations relying on older Firefox versions face significant exposure, as the vulnerability exists in the foundational components of the browser that handle all web content processing.
The security implications of CVE-2016-1931 extend to compliance and risk management considerations, particularly for organizations operating under regulatory frameworks that mandate timely security patching. This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of keeping browser software updated, as the affected versions represent a window of exposure that can be exploited by threat actors without requiring advanced technical skills. The issue's classification under memory corruption patterns aligns with common CWE categories related to improper initialization of resources and memory safety vulnerabilities, making it consistent with established security frameworks. Mitigation strategies should focus on immediate patch deployment to Firefox 44.0 or later versions, alongside network-level protections and user education about avoiding untrusted content sources to minimize exposure risk.