CVE-2016-1952 in Firefox
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple unspecified vulnerabilities in the browser engine in Mozilla Firefox before 45.0 and Firefox ESR 38.x before 38.7 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-2016-1952 represents a critical security flaw affecting Mozilla Firefox browser engine implementations across multiple versions. This issue impacts both the standard Firefox release line and the Extended Support Release (ESR) version, specifically affecting Firefox versions prior to 45.0 and Firefox ESR 38.x versions prior to 38.7. The vulnerability resides within the browser engine component that processes web content, making it a fundamental security concern for users relying on Firefox for web browsing activities. The affected versions demonstrate the typical characteristics of memory corruption vulnerabilities that can be exploited through remote attack vectors, potentially compromising the stability and security of affected systems.
The technical nature of CVE-2016-1952 involves unspecified vulnerabilities within the browser engine that can result in memory corruption conditions. These memory corruption issues typically arise from improper handling of web content or data structures within the rendering engine, potentially through buffer overflows, use-after-free conditions, or other memory management flaws. The vulnerability allows attackers to craft malicious web content that, when processed by the affected Firefox versions, triggers unexpected behavior in the browser's memory management system. This type of flaw falls under the broader category of heap-based buffer overflows and memory corruption issues that are commonly classified under CWE-122 and CWE-125 within the Common Weakness Enumeration framework. The lack of specific details in the initial description suggests that the vulnerability may encompass multiple related memory corruption mechanisms that could be exploited through various attack vectors.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service conditions to potentially enabling remote code execution capabilities. When exploited successfully, attackers can cause Firefox applications to crash or become unresponsive through memory corruption, leading to denial of service scenarios that disrupt user productivity and web browsing sessions. More critically, the potential for arbitrary code execution means that attackers could gain unauthorized control over affected systems, allowing for data theft, system compromise, or further network infiltration. The remote nature of the attack vector indicates that exploitation does not require physical access to the target system, making the vulnerability particularly dangerous in enterprise and consumer environments where users may encounter malicious content through regular web browsing activities. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1203, which involves exploiting software vulnerabilities to gain unauthorized access to systems.
The remediation approach for CVE-2016-1952 involves immediate upgrading of affected Firefox installations to versions 45.0 or later for standard releases, and Firefox ESR 38.7 or later for extended support releases. Organizations should implement comprehensive patch management procedures to ensure all affected systems receive updates promptly. Security teams should also consider implementing network monitoring solutions to detect potential exploitation attempts and establish incident response protocols for handling suspected vulnerability exploitation. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of maintaining up-to-date browser software and highlights the risks associated with running outdated software versions that may contain known security flaws. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify and remediate similar issues before they can be exploited by malicious actors. Additionally, users should be educated about the importance of keeping their browsers updated and avoiding suspicious websites or content that could trigger exploitation of such vulnerabilities.