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FirefoxWeb browser · Mozilla

CVE-2009-0772

HIGH · 9.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2009-03-05
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 3.0.6 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 layout engine in Mozilla Firefox 2 and 3 before 3.0.7, Thunderbird before 2.0.0.21, and SeaMonkey 1.1.15 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) and possibly execute arbitrary code via vectors related to nsCSSStyleSheet::GetOwnerNode, events, and garbage collection, which triggers memory corruption.

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 vulnerability in the Mozilla layout engine's nsCSSStyleSheet::GetOwnerNode function. The issue occurs during event handling and garbage collection, allowing remote attackers to trigger memory corruption that leads to crash (denial of service) and potentially arbitrary code execution.

MitigationUpgrade affected products (Firefox to 3.0.7+, Thunderbird to 2.0.0.21+, SeaMonkey to 1.1.15+) to patch the memory corruption vulnerability in the layout engine.

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:<= 3.0.6= 1.0= 1.0.1= 1.0.2= 1.0.3= 1.0.4= 1.0.5= 1.0.6= 1.0.7= 1.0.8= 1.5= 1.5.0.1
SeamonkeyApplication
Affected:<= 1.1.14= 1.0= 1.0.1= 1.0.2= 1.0.3= 1.0.5= 1.0.6= 1.0.7= 1.0.8= 1.0.9= 1.1= 1.1.1
ThunderbirdApplication
Affected:<= 2.0.0.20= 2.0.0.0= 2.0.0.4= 2.0.0.5= 2.0.0.6= 2.0.0.9= 2.0.0.12= 2.0.0.14= 2.0.0.16= 2.0.0.17= 2.0.0.18= 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
None
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:N/AC:M/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 for Firefox, Seamonkey, or Thunderbird installations using system inventory or by running: firefox --version, seamonkey --version, or thunderbird --version
    Affected if Any of these three Mozilla products are installed on the system
  2. Check Firefox version
    Run 'firefox --version' or access about:Firefox in the browser
    Affected if Version is 3.0.6 or lower, or any 1.0.x version (1.0 through 1.0.8), or version 1.5 or 1.5.0.1
  3. Check Seamonkey version
    Run 'seamonkey --version' or check the application properties
    Affected if Version is 1.1.14 or lower, or any 1.0.x version (1.0 through 1.0.9), or version 1.1 or 1.1.1
  4. Check Thunderbird version
    Run 'thunderbird --version' or check the application properties
    Affected if Version is 2.0.0.20 or lower, or any 2.0.0.x version (2.0.0.0, 2.0.0.4 through 2.0.0.19)

If any of these Mozilla products are installed and the version matches the affected ranges listed above, the environment is vulnerable to memory corruption in the layout engine's nsCSSStyleSheet::GetOwnerNode function.

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 a release after 3.0.6
Interim mitigation

Upgrade affected products (Firefox to 3.0.7+, Thunderbird to 2.0.0.21+, SeaMonkey to 1.1.15+) to patch the memory corruption vulnerability in the layout engine.

Recommended fix High confidence

Firefox 3.0.7+; Thunderbird 2.0.0.21+; SeaMonkey 1.1.15+ (or latest stable versions of each respective product)

  1. Identify the currently installed Mozilla product (Firefox, Thunderbird, or SeaMonkey) and its exact version
  2. Backup any critical data such as bookmarks, emails, and preferences before upgrading
  3. For Firefox: Upgrade to version 3.0.7 or later (recommended: upgrade to the latest stable Firefox version)
  4. For Thunderbird: Upgrade to version 2.0.0.21 or later (recommended: upgrade to the latest stable Thunderbird version)
  5. For SeaMonkey: Upgrade to version 1.1.15 or later (recommended: upgrade to the latest stable SeaMonkey version)
  6. After upgrade, verify the new version by checking Help > About in the application menu
  7. Ensure the upgraded version is functioning correctly and all extensions/add-ons are compatible
Caveat Upgrading from Firefox 1.0.x to 3.0.x may introduce breaking changes in extension compatibility and user interface differences; consider testing in a non-production environment first

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

Fix this in Firefox Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
5.0 hours of engineering $910
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,456.

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-2009-0772 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