CVE-2016-2835 in Firefox
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple unspecified vulnerabilities in the browser engine in Mozilla Firefox before 48.0 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 • 03/16/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-2835 represents a critical security flaw within the browser engine of Mozilla Firefox versions prior to 48.0. This issue encompasses multiple unspecified vulnerabilities that collectively create a significant attack surface for remote threat actors. The affected browser engine components are responsible for processing web content and executing JavaScript code, making them prime targets for exploitation. These vulnerabilities specifically enable attackers to manipulate memory structures in ways that can lead to system instability or unauthorized code execution. The lack of specific details in the initial description suggests these flaws may span across various subsystems within Firefox's rendering and execution frameworks, potentially including memory management, parsing routines, or scripting engine components.
The technical nature of this vulnerability manifests through memory corruption issues that occur when Firefox processes certain web content or executes specific JavaScript code patterns. When exploited, these memory corruption flaws can cause the browser application to crash unexpectedly or behave in unpredictable ways. The potential for arbitrary code execution emerges when attackers can manipulate memory layout or control flow within the browser process, allowing them to inject and run malicious code with the privileges of the browser user. This type of vulnerability falls under the category of heap-based buffer overflows or use-after-free conditions, which are commonly exploited in browser-based attacks. The attack vectors remain unspecified, indicating that multiple different code paths could lead to exploitation, making defense-in-depth strategies essential.
From an operational perspective, the impact of CVE-2016-2835 extends beyond simple denial of service scenarios to include potential full system compromise. Remote attackers can leverage these vulnerabilities to execute arbitrary code on affected systems, potentially leading to complete system takeover. The memory corruption issues can cause browsers to crash repeatedly, creating denial of service conditions that disrupt legitimate user activities. Organizations running affected Firefox versions face significant risk as these vulnerabilities can be exploited through standard web browsing activities without requiring user interaction beyond visiting malicious websites. The unspecified nature of the attack vectors means that defenders must assume any web content could potentially be leveraged for exploitation, requiring comprehensive monitoring and proactive patch management strategies.
Security mitigations for CVE-2016-2835 primarily focus on immediate remediation through Firefox version updates to 48.0 or later. Organizations should implement automated patch management systems to ensure all browser installations are promptly updated. Additional defensive measures include network-based filtering to block malicious web content, browser hardening through configuration changes, and enhanced monitoring for unusual browser behavior or crash patterns. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of keeping browser software up-to-date as these types of memory corruption issues often require complex exploitation techniques that become more difficult to implement as software evolves. Security teams should also consider implementing sandboxing technologies and privilege separation to limit the potential impact of successful exploitation attempts. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-119 and CWE-121 categories related to memory corruption and buffer overflow conditions, and represents a typical example of how browser engine vulnerabilities can be leveraged through the ATT&CK framework's initial access and execution phases.