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FirefoxWeb browser · Mozilla

CVE-2008-5507

MEDIUM · 6.0 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 →
66/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable 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
Mozilla Firefox 3.x before 3.0.5 and 2.x before 2.0.0.19, Thunderbird 2.x before 2.0.0.19, and SeaMonkey 1.x before 1.1.14 allow remote attackers to bypass the same origin policy and access portions of data from another domain via a JavaScript URL that redirects to the target resource, which generates an error if the target data does not have JavaScript syntax, which can be accessed using the window.onerror DOM API.

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

Mozilla Firefox, Thunderbird, and SeaMonkey have a same-origin policy bypass vulnerability where a JavaScript URL redirecting to a target resource generates an error if the target is not valid JavaScript. This error can be read via the window.onerror DOM API, allowing attackers to access portions of data from another domain.

MitigationUpdate affected Mozilla products to version 3.0.5/2.0.0.19 (Firefox), 2.0.0.19 (Thunderbird), or 1.1.14 (SeaMonkey) to patch the 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, < 2.0.0.19>= 3.0, < 3.0.5
Ubuntu LinuxOperating system
Affected:= 6.06= 7.10= 8.04= 8.10
Debian LinuxOperating system
Affected:= 4.0= 5.0
SeamonkeyApplication
Affected:>= 1.0, < 1.1.14
ThunderbirdApplication
Affected:>= 2.0, < 2.0.0.19

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
M
Authentication
Single
Confidentiality
Partial
Integrity
Partial
Availability
Partial

AV:N/AC:M/Au:S/C:P/I:P/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 which Mozilla product is installed: Firefox (web browser), Thunderbird (email client), or SeaMonkey (suite). On Windows, check Start menu entries or installed programs. On Linux, check package manager listings or executable paths (e.g., /usr/bin/firefox, /usr/bin/thunderbird, /usr/bin/seamonkey).
    Affected if Any of Firefox, Thunderbird, or SeaMonkey is installed
  2. Check Firefox version
    In Firefox, type 'about:' in the address bar and press Enter, or go to Help > About Firefox. The version number displayed (such as 2.0.0.18 or 3.0.4) is the installed version.
    Affected if Version is 2.0.x where x < 19, or 3.0.x where x < 5
  3. Check Thunderbird version
    In Thunderbird, go to Help > About Thunderbird. The version number displayed (such as 2.0.0.18) is the installed version.
    Affected if Version is 2.0.x where x < 19
  4. Check SeaMonkey version
    In SeaMonkey, go to Help > About SeaMonkey. The version number displayed (such as 1.1.13) is the installed version.
    Affected if Version is 1.1.x where x < 14, or 1.0.x any version
  5. Check Linux package version (Ubuntu/Debian)
    On Ubuntu, run 'dpkg -l | grep firefox' or 'dpkg -l | grep thunderbird' or 'dpkg -l | grep seamonkey' in terminal. On Debian, use the same command. The package version string shows the installed Mozilla product version.
    Affected if Package version is earlier than 2.0.0.19 (Firefox/Thunderbird) or 1.1.14 (SeaMonkey)

You are affected if any installed Mozilla product (Firefox, Thunderbird, or SeaMonkey) has a version that falls within the affected ranges: Firefox 2.0.0.x (x < 19) or 3.0.x (x < 5), Thunderbird 2.0.0.x (x < 19), or SeaMonkey 1.0.x / 1.1.x (x < 14).

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 Mozilla products to version 3.0.5/2.0.0.19 (Firefox), 2.0.0.19 (Thunderbird), or 1.1.14 (SeaMonkey) to patch the vulnerability.

Fix this in Firefox Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,600
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,560.

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-2008-5507 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