CVE-2024-10941 in Firefox
Summary
by MITRE • 11/06/2024
A malicious website could have included an iframe with an malformed URI resulting in a non-exploitable browser crash. This vulnerability affects Firefox < 126.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/01/2025
This vulnerability represents a browser security issue affecting Firefox versions prior to 126 where a specially crafted iframe containing a malformed URI could potentially cause a non-exploitable browser crash. The flaw resides in how Firefox processes iframe elements with improperly formatted uniform resource identifiers, creating a scenario where user interaction with malicious web content could trigger an unexpected browser termination. The vulnerability demonstrates a classic case of input validation failure where the browser's handling of malformed URIs within embedded content frames does not properly account for edge cases in URI parsing.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the browser's rendering engine encountering a malformed URI within an iframe tag that triggers an internal error condition. When Firefox attempts to process the malformed URI, it likely encounters a parsing error that leads to an unhandled exception or memory corruption scenario, resulting in the browser crash. This type of vulnerability falls under the category of memory safety issues and represents a potential denial of service condition where legitimate users could experience browser instability when visiting compromised websites. The vulnerability is classified as a memory safety error that could be exploited to cause a crash, though the report explicitly states it is non-exploitable for remote code execution.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability affects users of older Firefox versions who may encounter unexpected browser crashes when visiting malicious websites. The risk level is relatively low since the crash is non-exploitable, meaning attackers cannot leverage this to execute arbitrary code or gain unauthorized access to systems. However, the vulnerability does represent a usability issue that could be exploited for user harassment or to disrupt normal browser operations. The attack vector requires a malicious website to deliver content containing the malformed iframe, making it a client-side vulnerability that depends on user interaction with compromised web content. This aligns with common attack patterns documented in the attack technique framework where adversaries leverage browser vulnerabilities to disrupt user experience or create conditions for more sophisticated attacks.
The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of robust input validation and proper error handling in browser implementations, particularly when processing embedded content. It relates to the common weakness identified in the CWE database as CWE-129, which covers improper validation of length of input buffers, and CWE-787, which addresses out-of-bounds write conditions. These weaknesses highlight the need for comprehensive testing of edge cases in URI parsing and iframe handling. Security practitioners should consider this vulnerability as part of broader browser hardening efforts and recommend immediate updates to Firefox versions 126 and later to prevent potential exploitation scenarios. The mitigation strategy primarily involves updating to the patched version of Firefox, which includes proper handling of malformed URIs in iframe contexts and improved error recovery mechanisms to prevent crashes.
This vulnerability type is consistent with the broader category of browser-based denial of service attacks that have been documented in various security advisories and attack frameworks. The ATT&CK technique T1211 covers the use of malicious content to cause system instability, and this vulnerability represents a specific implementation of such techniques. While not exploitable for remote code execution, the vulnerability could serve as a stepping stone for more sophisticated attacks or be used to create conditions that facilitate social engineering campaigns. Organizations should implement browser update policies that ensure all users maintain current versions of Firefox to protect against such vulnerabilities. The patch for this vulnerability would typically involve enhanced URI validation routines and improved exception handling within the browser's iframe processing code, ensuring that malformed inputs do not lead to browser termination.