FirefoxWeb browser · Mozilla

CVE-2005-2701

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v2.0 Published 2005-09-23

Fix available

A fix is available. Upgrade to after 1.7.11 or later.

See remediation →

84/100

Remediation priority · High

Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description

NVD · unedited

Heap-based buffer overflow in Firefox before 1.0.7 and Mozilla Suite before 1.7.12 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via an XBM image file that ends in a large number of spaces instead of the expected end tag.

Technical summary

dbcve analysis · high confidence

Heap-based buffer overflow in Firefox before 1.0.7 and Mozilla Suite before 1.7.12 when parsing XBM image files. The vulnerability is triggered when an XBM file ends with a large number of spaces instead of the proper end tag (~), causing overflow on the heap and potentially allowing arbitrary code execution.

MitigationUpgrade to Firefox 1.0.7+/Mozilla Suite 1.7.12+ or later. If immediate patching is not feasible, consider disabling XBM image handling or using alternative browsers until the update can be deployed.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions

NVD · CPE data

FirefoxWeb browser

Affected:<= 1.0.6= 1.0= 1.0.1= 1.0.2= 1.0.3= 1.0.4= 1.0.5

Mozilla SuiteApplication

Affected:<= 1.7.11= 1.7.6= 1.7.7= 1.7.8= 1.7.10

CVSS breakdown

From the vector

Attack vector: Network
Complexity: Low
Authentication: None
Confidentiality: Partial
Integrity: Partial
Availability: Partial

AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P

Am I affected?

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

Identify installed browser product

Check if Mozilla Firefox or Mozilla Suite is installed on the system by looking in program directories or checking installed programs

Affected if Neither Firefox nor Mozilla Suite is installed - the CVE does not apply to other browsers
Check Firefox version

In Firefox, go to Help > About Mozilla Firefox to view the exact version number. Alternatively, check the application binary or package version.

Affected if Firefox version is 1.0.6 or earlier, or falls within versions 1.0 through 1.0.5 (any build before 1.0.7)
Check Mozilla Suite version

In Mozilla Suite, go to Help > About Mozilla to view the exact version number. Alternatively, check the application binary or package version.

Affected if Mozilla Suite version is 1.7.11 or earlier, or falls within versions 1.7.6, 1.7.7, 1.7.8, or 1.7.10 (any build before 1.7.12)
Verify XBM image handling is possible

The vulnerability is triggered when the browser parses a malicious XBM image file. Check if the browser has the capability to handle or display XBM images - this is a parsing vulnerability that affects any XBM image loading operation.

Affected if XBM image handling is enabled and the browser can be used to view XBM files - the vulnerability applies whenever XBM parsing occurs

A user is affected if they have Firefox version 1.0.6 or earlier (including 1.0.x series) or Mozilla Suite version 1.7.11 or earlier (including specific 1.7.x versions), and the browser can parse XBM image files.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Remediation

From vendor data

Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 1.7.11

Interim mitigation

Upgrade to Firefox 1.0.7+/Mozilla Suite 1.7.12+ or later. If immediate patching is not feasible, consider disabling XBM image handling or using alternative browsers until the update can be deployed.

Fix this in Firefox Scoped from the published advisory

Consultation3.0 h
Implementation4.0 h
Testing2.0 h
Review / QA1.0 h

10.0 hours of engineering $1,800

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Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally

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Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2005-2701 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

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References

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2005-2701 in production — separate from our analysis above.

Notes0 Guidelines

Know something about CVE-2005-2701?

The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.

The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
A config change or rule that shut the vector down
A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here

Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data

At a glance

A fix existsUpgrade to after 1.7.11 or later

Severity 7.5 High

Exploit likelihood EPSS, next 30 days 6.9%

Affects: Firefox

Remediation

A high-priority fix

Fix this in Firefox 10 hrs · Low

Typical engagement from $1,800

Get a fix See the full breakdown ↓

A high-priority vulnerability. Send your environment and a specialist will scope CVE-2005-2701 and return a fixed quote and timeline.

You’ll deal with our team directly and deploy the reviewed fix to staging first — never straight to production.

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

Check your environment

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

Scan for this in your stack

References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Practitioner notes

No notes yet

Official description

Technical summary

Affected products & versions

CVSS breakdown

Am I affected?

Remediation

References