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FirefoxWeb browser · Mozilla

CVE-2008-5502

MEDIUM · 5.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2008-12-17
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 1.1.14 / 2.0.0.19 or later.
See remediation →
59/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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 layout engine in Mozilla Firefox 3.x before 3.0.5, Thunderbird 2.x before 2.0.0.19, and SeaMonkey 1.x before 1.1.14 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) via vectors that trigger memory corruption, related to the GetXMLEntity and FastAppendChar functions.

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

Memory corruption in Mozilla Firefox 3.x, Thunderbird 2.x, and SeaMonkey 1.x layout engine allows remote attackers to crash the application via specially crafted XML content that triggers flaws in GetXMLEntity and FastAppendChar functions during entity parsing and string handling.

MitigationUpdate affected applications to Firefox 3.0.5 or later, Thunderbird 2.0.0.19 or later, or SeaMonkey 1.1.14 or later to obtain the patched layout engine code.

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, < 2.0.0.19>= 3.0, < 3.0.5
Ubuntu LinuxOperating system
Affected:= 8.04= 8.10
SeamonkeyApplication
Affected:>= 1.0, < 1.1.14

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
None
Integrity
None
Availability
Partial

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

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
    Determine whether Firefox, Thunderbird, or SeaMonkey is installed on the system. Check the application name and executable.
    Affected if Any of these products (Firefox, Thunderbird, or SeaMonkey) are installed
  2. Check Firefox version
    Run 'firefox -v' or check Help > About in the Firefox UI to obtain the installed version number.
    Affected if Version is >= 2.0 and < 2.0.0.19, or >= 3.0 and < 3.0.5
  3. Check Thunderbird version
    Run 'thunderbird -v' or check Help > About in the Thunderbird UI to obtain the installed version number.
    Affected if Version is >= 2.0 and < 2.0.0.19
  4. Check SeaMonkey version
    Run 'seamonkey -v' or check Help > About in the SeaMonkey UI to obtain the installed version number.
    Affected if Version is >= 1.0 and < 1.1.14
  5. Confirm XML content processing
    Verify the application handles or renders XML content (including XHTML, SVG, or XML-based email content). This is a layout engine flaw triggered during XML entity parsing via GetXMLEntity and FastAppendChar functions.
    Affected if The application processes XML content and the version falls within the affected ranges

A user is affected if they have Firefox 2.0-2.0.0.18, Firefox 3.0-3.0.4, or SeaMonkey 1.0-1.1.13 installed, and the application processes XML content that triggers the vulnerable entity parsing code paths.

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.

From vendor data
Upgrade available Upgrade to 1.1.14 / 2.0.0.19 / 3.0.5 or later
Fixed in 1.1.142.0.0.193.0.5
Interim mitigation

Update affected applications to Firefox 3.0.5 or later, Thunderbird 2.0.0.19 or later, or SeaMonkey 1.1.14 or later to obtain the patched layout engine code.

Fix this in Firefox Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,040
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,664.

Scan for this in your stack

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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-2008-5502 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