dbcve.org
FirefoxWeb browser · Mozilla

CVE-2010-0176

HIGH · 9.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2010-04-05
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 3.5.7 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
Mozilla Firefox before 3.0.19, 3.5.x before 3.5.9, and 3.6.x before 3.6.2; Thunderbird before 3.0.4; and SeaMonkey before 2.0.4 do not properly manage reference counts for option elements in a XUL tree optgroup, which might allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via unspecified vectors that trigger access to deleted elements, related to a "dangling pointer vulnerability."

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 products (Firefox, Thunderbird, SeaMonkey) have a dangling pointer vulnerability in XUL tree optgroup handling where improper reference counting for option elements leads to use-after-free conditions. When option elements are deleted, references are not properly managed, allowing attackers to access freed memory and potentially execute arbitrary code via unspecified vectors.

MitigationUpgrade to Firefox 3.0.19/3.5.9/3.6.2 or later, Thunderbird 3.0.4 or later, or SeaMonkey 2.0.4 or later to patch the reference counting 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:= 3.6<= 3.5.7= 0.1= 0.2= 0.3= 0.4= 0.5= 0.6= 0.6.1= 0.7= 0.7.1= 0.8
ThunderbirdApplication
Affected:<= 3.0.3= 0.1= 0.2= 0.3= 0.4= 0.5= 0.6= 0.7= 0.7.1= 0.7.2= 0.7.3= 0.8
SeamonkeyApplication
Affected:<= 2.0.3= 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= 1.0.9= 1.1

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 the installed Mozilla product
    Run 'firefox --version', 'thunderbird --version', or 'seamonkey --version' from the command line, or check Help > About in the application
    Affected if Any of Firefox, Thunderbird, or SeaMonkey is installed
  2. Determine the exact version number
    Compare the version output against the affected ranges: Firefox = 3.6, <= 3.5.7, or 0.1-0.8; Thunderbird <= 3.0.3 or 0.1-0.8; SeaMonkey <= 2.0.3 or 1.0-1.1
    Affected if The installed version matches any of the listed affected versions for that product
  3. Check for XUL tree optgroup usage in applications or extensions
    Search application source code, add-ons, or deployed XUL documents for <tree> elements containing <optgroup> child elements within <treecols> structures
    Affected if The environment uses XUL trees with optgroup elements that could trigger the reference counting issue when option elements are dynamically modified or deleted

The environment is affected if a vulnerable version of Firefox, Thunderbird, or SeaMonkey is installed AND the application uses XUL tree components with optgroup handling where option elements may be dynamically created, modified, or deleted.

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 3.5.7
Interim mitigation

Upgrade to Firefox 3.0.19/3.5.9/3.6.2 or later, Thunderbird 3.0.4 or later, or SeaMonkey 2.0.4 or later to patch the reference counting vulnerability.

Recommended fix High confidence

Firefox 3.6.2+ / 3.5.9+ / 3.0.19+, Thunderbird 3.0.4+, SeaMonkey 2.0.4+ (or latest available releases of each product)

  1. 1. Identify which Mozilla product (Firefox, Thunderbird, or SeaMonkey) is installed and note the current version number.
  2. 2. For Firefox users: Upgrade to Firefox 3.6.2 or later (or the latest available 3.x release).
  3. 3. For Firefox 3.5.x users: Upgrade to Firefox 3.5.9 or later.
  4. 4. For Firefox 3.0.x users: Upgrade to Firefox 3.0.19 or later.
  5. 5. For Thunderbird users: Upgrade to Thunderbird 3.0.4 or later.
  6. 6. For SeaMonkey users: Upgrade to SeaMonkey 2.0.4 or later.
  7. 7. After upgrading, verify the new version by checking Help > About in the application menu.
Caveat Upgrading from these very old 2010-era versions may introduce compatibility issues with older extensions/plugins and legacy website features; ensure backup of bookmarks and settings before upgrading

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

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2010-0176 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2010-0176 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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