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FirefoxWeb browser · Mozilla

CVE-2010-0159

HIGH · 10.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2010-02-22
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 2.0.3 / 3.0.2 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 browser engine in Mozilla Firefox 3.0.x before 3.0.18 and 3.5.x before 3.5.8, Thunderbird before 3.0.2, and SeaMonkey before 2.0.3 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (memory corruption and application crash) or possibly execute arbitrary code via vectors related to the nsBlockFrame::StealFrame function in layout/generic/nsBlockFrame.cpp, and unspecified other vectors.

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 browser engine's nsBlockFrame::StealFrame function in layout/generic/nsBlockFrame.cpp allows remote attackers to cause denial of service through application crash or potentially execute arbitrary code via unspecified vectors.

MitigationUpdate affected Mozilla products to versions Firefox 3.0.18+/3.5.8+, Thunderbird 3.0.2+, or SeaMonkey 2.0.3+ 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, < 3.0.18>= 3.5, < 3.5.8
Debian LinuxOperating system
Affected:= 5.0
Ubuntu LinuxOperating system
Affected:= 8.04= 8.10= 9.04= 9.10
SeamonkeyApplication
Affected:< 2.0.3
ThunderbirdApplication
Affected:< 3.0.2

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 the installed Mozilla product
    Check which Mozilla browser or client is installed (Firefox, Thunderbird, or SeaMonkey). On Linux, check installed packages via dpkg -l or apt list. On Windows, check Add/Remove Programs or the application's About dialog.
    Affected if Any of Firefox, Thunderbird, or SeaMonkey is installed
  2. Check Firefox version
    Open Firefox, go to Help > About Firefox, or run firefox --version from command line. Note the full version number.
    Affected if Firefox version is 3.0.x where x < 18, OR 3.5.x where x < 8, OR 3.0 through 3.5.x (any 3.0.x before 3.0.18 or any 3.5.x before 3.5.8)
  3. Check Thunderbird version
    Open Thunderbird, go to Help > About Thunderbird, or run thunderbird --version from command line. Note the full version number.
    Affected if Thunderbird version is any version before 3.0.2 (e.g., 3.0.1, 3.0.0, or earlier)
  4. Check SeaMonkey version
    Open SeaMonkey, go to Help > About SeaMonkey, or run seamonkey --version from command line. Note the full version number.
    Affected if SeaMonkey version is any version before 2.0.3 (e.g., 2.0.2, 2.0.1, 2.0.0, or earlier)

The environment is affected if Firefox, Thunderbird, or SeaMonkey is installed and its version falls within the vulnerable ranges: Firefox < 3.0.18 or < 3.5.8, Thunderbird < 3.0.2, SeaMonkey < 2.0.3.

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 2.0.3 / 3.0.2 / 3.0.18 or later
Fixed in 2.0.33.0.23.0.18
Interim mitigation

Update affected Mozilla products to versions Firefox 3.0.18+/3.5.8+, Thunderbird 3.0.2+, or SeaMonkey 2.0.3+ to patch the memory corruption vulnerability in the layout engine.

Recommended fix High confidence

Firefox 3.0.18+/3.5.8+, SeaMonkey 2.0.3+, Thunderbird 3.0.2+

  1. For Firefox: Upgrade to version 3.0.18 or later (for 3.0.x branch) or 3.5.8 or later (for 3.5.x branch)
  2. For SeaMonkey: Upgrade to version 2.0.3 or later
  3. For Thunderbird: Upgrade to version 3.0.2 or later
  4. For Debian 5.0: Apply security updates from Debian security repository
  5. For Ubuntu 8.04, 8.10, 9.04, 9.10: Apply security updates from Ubuntu security repository
  6. For Fedora: Apply security updates from Fedora repository

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

Fix this in Firefox Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
5.0 hours of engineering $890
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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-2010-0159 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