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FirefoxWeb browser · Mozilla

CVE-2010-3181

MEDIUM · 6.9 CVSS v2.0 Published 2010-10-21
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 3.5.13 or later.
See remediation →
74/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
Untrusted search path vulnerability in Mozilla Firefox before 3.5.14 and 3.6.x before 3.6.11, Thunderbird before 3.0.9 and 3.1.x before 3.1.5, and SeaMonkey before 2.0.9 on Windows allows local users to gain privileges via a Trojan horse DLL in the current working directory.

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

This is a DLL hijacking (untrusted search path) vulnerability in Mozilla products on Windows. The applications load dynamic-link libraries from the current working directory without validating the full path, allowing a local attacker to place a malicious DLL that gets loaded with the application's privileges, achieving privilege escalation.

MitigationUpdate to Firefox 3.5.14+/3.6.11+, Thunderbird 3.0.9+/3.1.5+, or SeaMonkey 2.0.9+. Additionally, avoid running these applications from untrusted directories (e.g., downloaded archives, network shares) and ensure the application installation directory is not writable by untrusted users.

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= 3.6.9= 3.6.10<= 3.5.13= 1.0= 1.0.1
SeamonkeyApplication
Affected:<= 2.0.8= 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:<= 3.0.8= 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
Local
Complexity
M
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:L/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 products on Windows
    Open Programs and Features (appwiz.cpl) or check the installation directories (typically C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox, C:\Program Files\Mozilla Thunderbird, or C:\Program Files\SeaMonkey) for the executable files firefox.exe, thunderbird.exe, or seamonkey.exe
    Affected if Any of Firefox, Thunderbird, or SeaMonkey are installed on the Windows system
  2. Determine the installed version of Firefox
    Run 'firefox -v' from the Firefox installation directory or right-click firefox.exe, select Properties, and view the Details tab for version information
    Affected if The version matches 3.6, 3.6.2, 3.6.3, 3.6.4, 3.6.6, 3.6.7, 3.6.8, 3.6.9, 3.6.10, any 3.5.x version up to 3.5.13, 1.0, or 1.0.1
  3. Determine the installed version of SeaMonkey
    Run 'seamonkey -v' from the SeaMonkey installation directory or right-click seamonkey.exe, select Properties, and view the Details tab for version information
    Affected if The version is 2.0.8 or lower, or matches 1.0 through 1.1 series (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)
  4. Determine the installed version of Thunderbird
    Run 'thunderbird -v' from the Thunderbird installation directory or right-click thunderbird.exe, select Properties, and view the Details tab for version information
    Affected if The version is 3.0.8 or lower, or matches 0.1 through 0.8 series (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)
  5. Assess execution context for DLL hijacking risk
    Review how the application is typically launched. Check if users run the application from directories that are writable by other users, such as downloaded archive folders, network shares, or removable media
    Affected if The application is commonly launched from or run in directories where untrusted users can place files (e.g., downloads folder, network share, USB drive)

A user is affected if they have Firefox 3.6.x (before 3.6.11), 3.5.x (before 3.5.14), 1.0.x, SeaMonkey 2.0.x (before 2.0.9), 1.x, or Thunderbird 3.0.x (before 3.0.9), 0.x installed on Windows AND the application may be run from directories where an attacker could place a malicious DLL.

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 a release after 3.5.13
Interim mitigation

Update to Firefox 3.5.14+/3.6.11+, Thunderbird 3.0.9+/3.1.5+, or SeaMonkey 2.0.9+. Additionally, avoid running these applications from untrusted directories (e.g., downloaded archives, network shares) and ensure the application installation directory is not writable by untrusted users.

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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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-2010-3181 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