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FirefoxWeb browser · Mozilla

CVE-2012-0454

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v2.0 Published 2012-03-14
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 2.7 or later.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
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
Use-after-free vulnerability in Mozilla Firefox 4.x through 10.0, Firefox ESR 10.x before 10.0.3, Thunderbird 5.0 through 10.0, Thunderbird ESR 10.x before 10.0.3, and SeaMonkey before 2.8 on 32-bit Windows 7 platforms allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (application crash) or possibly execute arbitrary code via vectors involving use of the file-open dialog in a child window, related to the IUnknown_QueryService function in the Windows shlwapi.dll library.

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

Use-after-free vulnerability in Mozilla products on 32-bit Windows 7 involving the file-open dialog in child windows and the IUnknown_QueryService function in shlwapi.dll. Allows remote attackers to cause denial of service or potentially execute arbitrary code.

MitigationUpdate affected products to patched versions: Firefox ESR 10.x to 10.0.3+, Thunderbird ESR 10.x to 10.0.3+, SeaMonkey to 2.8+. Prioritize 32-bit Windows 7 deployments.

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:= 4.0= 4.0.1= 5.0= 5.0.1= 6.0= 6.0.1= 6.0.2= 7.0= 7.0.1= 8.0= 8.0.1= 9.0
Firefox EsrWeb browser
Affected:= 10.1= 10.2
ThunderbirdApplication
Affected:= 5.0= 6.0= 6.0.1= 6.0.2= 7.0= 7.0.1= 8.0= 9.0= 9.0.1
Thunderbird EsrApplication
Affected:= 10.0= 10.0.1= 10.0.2
SeamonkeyApplication
Affected:<= 2.7= 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
Low
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Partial
Integrity
Partial
Availability
Partial

AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P

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 product and version
    Open the application, click Help > About (Firefox/Thunderbird) or Help > About SeaMonkey. Alternatively, check the program files directory for the executable and its properties.
    Affected if The product is Firefox, Thunderbird, or SeaMonkey and the version matches one listed in the affected versions: Firefox 4.0-9.0, Firefox ESR 10.1-10.2, Thunderbird 5.0-9.0.1, Thunderbird ESR 10.0-10.0.2, SeaMonkey 1.x versions or SeaMonkey 2.7 and below.
  2. Verify Windows operating system version and architecture
    Open Command Prompt and run 'systeminfo | findstr /B /C:"OS Name" /C:"System Type"' or right-click Computer > Properties and check the Windows edition and system type (x86 = 32-bit, x64 = 64-bit).
    Affected if The system is running 32-bit Windows 7 (Windows 7 Professional, Home Premium, etc., with System Type showing x86). The vulnerability specifically affects 32-bit Windows 7.
  3. Confirm shlwapi.dll version (optional)
    Navigate to C:\Windows\System32\shlwapi.dll, right-click and select Properties, then check the File Version tab.
    Affected if The shlwapi.dll version is older and contains the IUnknown_QueryService issue; however, this is primarily mitigated by updating the Mozilla product rather than the DLL itself.
  4. Determine if file-open dialog in child windows is used
    This is a runtime condition: the vulnerability triggers when a file-open dialog is opened within a child window of the application. Inspect application usage patterns or logs if available.
    Affected if The user opens a file-open dialog (for example, attaching a file or saving an attachment) within a child window while running the vulnerable product on 32-bit Windows 7.

A user is affected if they are running a vulnerable version of Firefox, Thunderbird, or SeaMonkey (as listed) on 32-bit Windows 7 and open a file-open dialog in a child window.

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 2.7
Interim mitigation

Update affected products to patched versions: Firefox ESR 10.x to 10.0.3+, Thunderbird ESR 10.x to 10.0.3+, SeaMonkey to 2.8+. Prioritize 32-bit Windows 7 deployments.

Fix this in Firefox Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,600
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,560.

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-2012-0454 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