FirefoxWeb browser · Mozilla

CVE-2010-3182

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

NVD · unedited

A certain application-launch script 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 Linux places a zero-length directory name in the LD_LIBRARY_PATH, which allows local users to gain privileges via a Trojan horse shared library in the current working directory.

Technical summary

dbcve analysis · high confidence

The Linux launcher scripts for Firefox, Thunderbird, and SeaMonkey add an empty string to LD_LIBRARY_PATH, which the dynamic linker interprets as the current working directory. A local attacker can place a malicious shared library in the directory from which a user launches the application, causing it to be loaded with elevated privileges.

MitigationUpgrade to Firefox 3.5.14/3.6.11, Thunderbird 3.0.9/3.1.5, or SeaMonkey 2.0.9 or later. As a workaround, avoid launching these applications from world-writable directories.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions

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

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?

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

Identify installed Firefox version

Run 'firefox --version' or check /usr/lib/firefox-* version file

Affected if Version is 3.6.x (3.6, 3.6.2-3.6.10), 3.5.x through 3.5.13, or 1.0/1.0.1
Identify installed Thunderbird version

Run 'thunderbird --version' or check /usr/lib/thunderbird-* version file

Affected if Version is 3.0.x through 3.0.8, or 0.1 through 0.8
Identify installed SeaMonkey version

Run 'seamonkey --version' or check /usr/lib/seamonkey-* version file

Affected if Version is 2.0.x through 2.0.8, or 1.0.x through 1.1
Examine launcher script for vulnerable LD_LIBRARY_PATH

Inspect the shell script that launches the application (e.g., /usr/lib/firefox*/firefox.sh) and search for LD_LIBRARY_PATH assignment containing an empty string or colon without path

Affected if The script appends ':' or an empty string to LD_LIBRARY_PATH, allowing the dynamic linker to treat the current directory as a library search path
Check if users launch from world-writable directories

Identify directories from which users commonly launch the browser (home directories, /tmp, shared folders) and verify write permissions for other users

Affected if Users launch Firefox, Thunderbird, or SeaMonkey from directories writable by other local users

You are affected if you run any of the vulnerable Firefox, Thunderbird, or SeaMonkey versions AND the launcher script contains the empty string LD_LIBRARY_PATH issue AND users can launch the application from world-writable directories.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Remediation

From vendor data

Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 3.5.13

Interim mitigation

Upgrade to Firefox 3.5.14/3.6.11, Thunderbird 3.0.9/3.1.5, or SeaMonkey 2.0.9 or later. As a workaround, avoid launching these applications from world-writable directories.

Fix this in Firefox Scoped from the published advisory

Consultation1.0 h
Implementation2.0 h
Testing3.0 h
Review / QA1.0 h

7.0 hours of engineering $1,190

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Scan for this in your stack

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References

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2010-3182 in production — separate from our analysis above.

Notes0 Guidelines

Know something about CVE-2010-3182?

The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.

The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
A config change or rule that shut the vector down
A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon

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

At a glance

A fix existsUpgrade to after 3.5.13 or later

Severity 6.9 Medium

Exploit likelihood EPSS, next 30 days 0.3%

Affects: Firefox

Remediation

Need this fixed?

Fix this in Firefox 7 hrs · Low

Typical engagement from $1,190

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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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Check your environment

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.

Scan for this in your stack

References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Practitioner notes

No notes yet

Official description

Technical summary

Affected products & versions

CVSS breakdown

Am I affected?

Remediation

References