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FirefoxWeb browser · Mozilla

CVE-2008-5018

HIGH · 10.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2008-11-13
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 1.1.13 / 2.0.0.18 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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.

NVD · unedited
The JavaScript engine in Mozilla Firefox 3.x before 3.0.4, Firefox 2.x before 2.0.0.18, Thunderbird 2.x before 2.0.0.18, and SeaMonkey 1.x before 1.1.13 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) via vectors related to "insufficient class checking" in the Date class.

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.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

The JavaScript engine in multiple Mozilla products (Firefox 2.x/3.x, Thunderbird 2.x, SeaMonkey 1.x) contains a flaw in the Date class where insufficient class checking allows remote attackers to trigger a denial of service via crash. The vulnerability stems from improper validation of object types when processing Date operations.

MitigationUpgrade affected Mozilla products to Firefox 3.0.4+, Firefox 2.0.0.18+, Thunderbird 2.0.0.18+, or SeaMonkey 1.1.13+ to patch the Date class vulnerability.

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

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.

NVD · CPE data
FirefoxWeb browser
Affected:>= 2.0, < 2.0.0.18>= 3.0, < 3.0.4
Debian LinuxOperating system
Affected:= 4.0
Ubuntu LinuxOperating system
Affected:= 6.06= 7.10= 8.04= 8.10
SeamonkeyApplication
Affected:>= 1.0, < 1.1.13
ThunderbirdApplication
Affected:>= 2.0, < 2.0.0.18

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.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

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

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.

dbcve checks

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

  1. Identify installed Mozilla product
    Check which Mozilla browser or client is installed: look for firefox, thunderbird, or seamonkey in installed packages or running processes. On Linux, run 'dpkg -l | grep -i mozilla' or 'rpm -qa | grep -i mozilla'. On Windows, check Program Files for Mozilla folders.
    Affected if None of the affected products (Firefox, Thunderbird, SeaMonkey) are installed.
  2. Determine Firefox version
    Run 'firefox --version' or check Help > About in the Firefox UI. On Linux, also check 'dpkg -l firefox' or 'rpm -q firefox'.
    Affected if Version is >= 2.0 and < 2.0.0.18, OR >= 3.0 and < 3.0.4.
  3. Determine Thunderbird version
    Run 'thunderbird --version' or check Help > About in the Thunderbird UI. On Linux, also check 'dpkg -l thunderbird' or 'rpm -q thunderbird'.
    Affected if Version is >= 2.0 and < 2.0.0.18.
  4. Determine SeaMonkey version
    Run 'seamonkey --version' or check Help > About in the SeaMonkey UI. On Linux, also check 'dpkg -l seamonkey' or 'rpm -q seamonkey'.
    Affected if Version is >= 1.0 and < 1.1.13.

You are affected if Firefox version is between 2.0 and 2.0.0.17 inclusive, between 3.0 and 3.0.3 inclusive, Thunderbird version is between 2.0 and 2.0.0.17 inclusive, or SeaMonkey version is between 1.0 and 1.1.12 inclusive.

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

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 1.1.13 / 2.0.0.18 / 3.0.4 or later
Fixed in 1.1.132.0.0.183.0.4
Interim mitigation

Upgrade affected Mozilla products to Firefox 3.0.4+, Firefox 2.0.0.18+, Thunderbird 2.0.0.18+, or SeaMonkey 1.1.13+ to patch the Date class vulnerability.

Recommended fix High confidence

Firefox 2.0.0.18, Firefox 3.0.4, Thunderbird 2.0.0.18, or SeaMonkey 1.1.13 (or migrate to currently supported versions)

  1. 1. Close all instances of the affected Mozilla application (Firefox, Thunderbird, or SeaMonkey)
  2. 2. Back up your profile data ( bookmarks, passwords, preferences) located in your profile directory
  3. 3. For Firefox 2.0.x users: Download and install Firefox 2.0.0.18 from the Mozilla archives or upgrade to a supported Firefox version (Firefox 3.6.x or later recommended)
  4. 4. For Firefox 3.0.x users: Download and install Firefox 3.0.4 or upgrade to a supported Firefox version (Firefox 3.6.x or later recommended)
  5. 5. For Thunderbird 2.0.x users: Download and install Thunderbird 2.0.0.18 or upgrade to a supported Thunderbird version (Thunderbird 3.x or later recommended)
  6. 6. For SeaMonkey 1.x users: Download and install SeaMonkey 1.1.13 or upgrade to a supported SeaMonkey version
  7. 7. After installation, restore your profile data and verify the application starts successfully
  8. 8. Ensure JavaScript is enabled and test that Date objects function correctly
Caveat Upgrading from Firefox 2.x/3.0.x to newer versions may break older extensions and plugins; profile migration may require manual adjustment

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Firefox Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
4.0 hours of engineering $750
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2008-5018 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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