CVE-2018-5126 in Firefox
Summary
by MITRE
Memory safety bugs were reported in Firefox 58. Some of these bugs showed evidence of memory corruption and we presume that with enough effort that some of these could be exploited to run arbitrary code. This vulnerability affects Firefox < 59.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/17/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-5126 represents a critical memory safety issue within the Mozilla Firefox web browser version 58 and earlier. This flaw falls under the broader category of memory corruption vulnerabilities that have historically proven to be highly dangerous in web browser environments where attackers can leverage such weaknesses to execute arbitrary code on target systems. The vulnerability specifically affects Firefox versions prior to 59, making it a significant concern for organizations and individuals who had not yet updated their browser installations.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from memory safety bugs within Firefox's rendering engine and JavaScript interpreter, which are core components responsible for processing web content. These memory safety issues manifest as potential buffer overflows, use-after-free conditions, or other memory corruption patterns that can occur when the browser processes malformed or malicious web content. The vulnerability's classification aligns with CWE-121, which addresses stack-based buffer overflow conditions, and CWE-122, which covers heap-based buffer overflow conditions. The presence of memory corruption indicates that attackers could potentially manipulate memory layout to redirect program execution flow or inject malicious code.
The operational impact of CVE-2018-5126 extends beyond simple browser exploitation as it represents a significant threat vector for attackers seeking to compromise user systems. When exploited successfully, this vulnerability could allow remote code execution without user interaction, making it particularly dangerous in phishing campaigns or drive-by download scenarios. The attack surface is extensive given that Firefox is widely used across enterprise and consumer environments, and the vulnerability could be leveraged to establish persistent access, escalate privileges, or exfiltrate sensitive data from compromised systems. This type of vulnerability directly maps to ATT&CK technique T1059.007, which involves the use of scripting languages for execution, and T1078.004, which covers valid accounts for persistence.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-5126 primarily focus on immediate remediation through browser updates to Firefox version 59 or later, which contains patches addressing the identified memory safety issues. Organizations should implement comprehensive patch management processes to ensure all Firefox installations are updated promptly, as the vulnerability does not require user interaction to exploit. Additionally, network administrators should consider implementing web application firewalls and content filtering solutions to detect and block potentially malicious content that could trigger these memory corruption conditions. Security teams should also monitor for indicators of compromise related to this vulnerability, including unusual network connections or file modifications that might indicate successful exploitation attempts. The vulnerability's nature as a memory safety issue also emphasizes the importance of deploying modern exploit mitigation techniques such as address space layout randomization and control flow integrity to reduce the effectiveness of potential exploitation attempts.