CVE-2024-10465 in Thunderbird
Summary
by MITRE • 10/29/2024
A clipboard "paste" button could persist across tabs which allowed a spoofing attack. This vulnerability affects Firefox < 132, Firefox ESR < 128.4, Thunderbird < 128.4, and Thunderbird < 132.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/02/2025
This vulnerability represents a critical cross-tab security flaw in Mozilla Firefox and Thunderbird applications that undermines user trust and exposes systems to sophisticated spoofing attacks. The issue manifests when a clipboard paste button functionality persists across different browser tabs or application windows, creating an unexpected security boundary violation. This behavior allows malicious actors to exploit the persistent interface element to deceive users into believing they are interacting with one application context while actually operating within another, fundamentally compromising the integrity of the user interface isolation mechanisms that modern browsers rely upon.
The technical flaw stems from improper state management within the browser's clipboard handling subsystem where the paste button component fails to properly reset or destroy its interface elements when transitioning between different tab contexts. This persistence creates a window of opportunity for attackers to manipulate the user interface state, potentially causing the system to display misleading information or execute unintended actions. The vulnerability specifically affects the clipboard interaction model where the paste button remains active and visible across tab boundaries, enabling attackers to craft deceptive scenarios where users might unknowingly paste malicious content into unintended applications or contexts. This issue directly relates to CWE-691, which addresses insufficient control flow management, and represents a clear violation of the principle of least privilege in user interface management.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple user confusion to potentially enable more serious security breaches including credential theft, data exfiltration, and execution of unauthorized commands. Attackers can leverage this persistent paste button to create convincing phishing scenarios where users believe they are pasting information into a legitimate application while actually injecting malicious code or credentials into a different context. The vulnerability particularly affects email clients and web browsers where clipboard operations are frequently used, making it a significant threat vector for social engineering campaigns. This flaw aligns with ATT&CK technique T1552.001, which covers "Unsecured Credentials" through clipboard manipulation, and T1059.001, which involves "Command and Scripting Interpreter" via malicious paste operations that can execute commands through clipboard injection.
Organizations and individual users must immediately update their Firefox and Thunderbird installations to versions 132 or later for Firefox and 128.4 or later for Thunderbird to remediate this vulnerability. The update process should be prioritized as a critical security measure since the vulnerability can be exploited without user interaction beyond normal browsing or email operations. System administrators should implement automated update policies to ensure all affected systems receive patches promptly, while security teams should monitor for potential exploitation attempts that may leverage this vulnerability for credential theft or malware delivery. Additionally, users should be educated about the risks of clipboard-based attacks and trained to verify the context of paste operations, particularly when dealing with sensitive information or unfamiliar websites. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of maintaining proper interface state management and context isolation in modern browser security architectures.