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FirefoxWeb browser · Mozilla

CVE-2010-3167

HIGH · 9.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2010-09-09
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 3.5.11 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 nsTreeContentView function in Mozilla Firefox before 3.5.12 and 3.6.x before 3.6.9, Thunderbird before 3.0.7 and 3.1.x before 3.1.3, and SeaMonkey before 2.0.7 does not properly handle node removal in XUL trees, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via vectors involving access to deleted memory, 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

The nsTreeContentView function in Mozilla Firefox, Thunderbird, and SeaMonkey fails to properly handle node removal in XUL trees, creating a dangling pointer that leads to use-after-free memory access when the application attempts to reference deleted nodes, allowing remote attackers to execute arbitrary code.

MitigationUpgrade to Firefox 3.5.12/3.6.9, Thunderbird 3.0.7/3.1.3, SeaMonkey 2.0.7 or later to resolve the dangling pointer vulnerability in XUL tree node handling.

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= 3.6.2= 3.6.3= 3.6.4= 3.6.6= 3.6.7= 3.6.8<= 3.5.11= 1.0= 1.0.1= 1.0.2= 1.0.3
SeamonkeyApplication
Affected:<= 2.0.6= 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= 1.0.9= 1.1
ThunderbirdApplication
Affected:<= 3.0.6= 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

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 and version
    In Firefox: navigate to Help > About Firefox, or enter 'about:support' in the address bar. In Thunderbird: Help > About Thunderbird. In SeaMonkey: Help > About SeaMonkey. Note the exact version number displayed.
    Affected if The version matches any of these ranges: Firefox 3.6.x (3.6, 3.6.2, 3.6.3, 3.6.4, 3.6.6, 3.6.7, 3.6.8), Firefox <= 3.5.11, Firefox 1.0.x (1.0, 1.0.1, 1.0.2, 1.0.3); SeaMonkey <= 2.0.6, SeaMonkey 1.0.x series; Thunderbird <= 3.0.6, Thunderbird 0.x series (0.1 through 0.8).
  2. Confirm the application uses XUL tree functionality
    The vulnerability exists in the nsTreeContentView function which handles XUL tree elements. This is a core component of the affected Mozilla applications. Check if the application has any custom extensions or configurations that utilize XUL tree elements (look for <tree> tags in XUL files or extensions that manipulate tree views).
    Affected if The application is a Mozilla product (Firefox, Thunderbird, SeaMonkey) running an affected version - XUL tree handling is built into these applications and enabled by default.
  3. Verify the product is not patched to a fixed version
    Compare the installed version against the fixed releases: Firefox 3.5.12 or 3.6.9 and later; Thunderbird 3.0.7 or 3.1.3 and later; SeaMonkey 2.0.7 and later.
    Affected if The installed version is earlier than the fixed versions and matches the affected version ranges listed in step 1.

You are affected if you are running any version of Firefox, Thunderbird, or SeaMonkey that matches the affected version list and the application utilizes XUL tree functionality, which is present in the core product by default.

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 3.5.11
Interim mitigation

Upgrade to Firefox 3.5.12/3.6.9, Thunderbird 3.0.7/3.1.3, SeaMonkey 2.0.7 or later to resolve the dangling pointer vulnerability in XUL tree node handling.

Recommended fix High confidence

Firefox 3.6.9+ / Thunderbird 3.0.7+ / SeaMonkey 2.0.7+

  1. 1. Check current version of Firefox, Thunderbird, or SeaMonkey by accessing the application's Help menu and selecting 'About'
  2. 2. Download the appropriate fixed version from the official Mozilla repository: Firefox 3.6.9 or later (or migrate to a supported Firefox release), Thunderbird 3.0.7 or later (or migrate to a supported Thunderbird release), or SeaMonkey 2.0.7 or later
  3. 3. Close all instances of the application
  4. 4. Run the installer for the fixed version
  5. 5. Restart the application and verify the version under Help > About reflects the patched release
Caveat These are older legacy versions; consider upgrading to a currently supported release branch (e.g., Firefox ESR or latest stable) for continued security updates

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

Fix this in Firefox Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
7.0 hours of engineering $1,240
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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-2010-3167 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