CVE-2026-74947 in Firefox
Summary
by MITRE • 08/18/2026
Privilege escalation due to invalid pointer in the Graphics component. This vulnerability was fixed in Firefox 154 and Firefox ESR 153.1.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/18/2026
The identified security flaw resides within the graphics subsystem of Mozilla Firefox, specifically involving an invalid memory pointer dereference that leads to privilege escalation. In complex software architectures like web browsers, the graphics component is responsible for rendering visual content by interacting with hardware acceleration APIs and managing GPU resources. When this module processes malformed or specially crafted input data, it fails to properly validate pointers before attempting to access the referenced memory locations. This lack of rigorous bounds checking allows an attacker to manipulate the execution flow, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution within a higher privilege context than intended by the browser's sandboxing mechanisms.
From a technical perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-119 Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer and more specifically CWE-476 NULL Pointer Dereference or related invalid pointer issues depending on the exact nature of the memory corruption. The root cause typically stems from insufficient validation of user-controlled data during the parsing or rendering pipeline, where an attacker can supply crafted web content that triggers the faulty logic in the graphics driver interface. By exploiting this flaw, a malicious actor could bypass standard security mitigations such as ASLR and DEP, achieving code execution with elevated privileges on the victim's system. This represents a significant risk because it transforms a typical cross-site scripting or remote code execution scenario into one where full system compromise is possible if the browser process runs with higher permissions than usual.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe due to its potential for privilege escalation. An attacker could craft a malicious webpage that, when visited by an unsuspecting user, exploits the invalid pointer in the graphics component. Successful exploitation would allow the execution of arbitrary code on the victim's machine, potentially leading to data theft, installation of malware, or use of the compromised system as part of a botnet. The severity is further amplified because modern browsers rely heavily on hardware acceleration for performance, making the graphics stack a frequent target for such exploits. Users who visit malicious sites containing specially crafted multimedia content are at direct risk until they update their browser software to include the necessary patches.
To mitigate this vulnerability, it is imperative that all users upgrade to Firefox version 154 or later, as well as Firefox ESR version 153.1 and subsequent releases where the fix has been applied. These updates contain code changes that enforce stricter validation of pointers within the graphics module, ensuring that memory operations are performed safely without accessing invalid addresses. Additionally, organizations should ensure their endpoint security solutions are updated to detect any attempted exploitation patterns associated with this specific flaw. Enabling automatic update mechanisms for browsers can help prevent exposure windows where users might remain vulnerable to such attacks while waiting for manual intervention. Regular patch management and adherence to recommended browser configurations further reduce the attack surface against memory corruption vulnerabilities in web rendering engines.