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FirefoxWeb browser · Mozilla

CVE-2012-0478

HIGH · 9.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2012-04-25
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 2.9 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 texImage2D implementation in the WebGL subsystem in Mozilla Firefox 4.x through 11.0, Firefox ESR 10.x before 10.0.4, Thunderbird 5.0 through 11.0, Thunderbird ESR 10.x before 10.0.4, and SeaMonkey before 2.9 does not properly restrict JSVAL_TO_OBJECT casts, which might allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted web page.

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

Memory corruption vulnerability in Mozilla WebGL texImage2D implementation where improper JSVAL_TO_OBJECT cast validation allows attackers to inject arbitrary code via crafted WebGL texture data. The flaw enables remote code execution when rendering maliciously crafted images in WebGL contexts.

MitigationDeploy security updates (Firefox 12+/ESR 10.0.4+, Thunderbird 12+/ESR 10.0.4+, SeaMonkey 2.9+) to all affected client systems. Until patched, disable WebGL in browser settings as a temporary workaround.

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
ThunderbirdApplication
Affected:= 5.0= 6.0= 6.0.1= 6.0.2= 7.0= 7.0.1= 8.0= 9.0= 9.0.1= 10.0= 10.0.1= 10.0.2
Thunderbird EsrApplication
Affected:= 10.0= 10.0.1= 10.0.2= 10.0.3
SeamonkeyApplication
Affected:<= 2.9= 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 and version
    In Firefox: go to Help > About Firefox. In Thunderbird: go to Help > About Thunderbird. In SeaMonkey: go to Help > About SeaMonkey. Note the exact version number displayed.
    Affected if The installed version matches one of the affected versions listed: Firefox 4.0-9.0, Thunderbird 5.0-10.0.2, Thunderbird ESR 10.0-10.0.3, or SeaMonkey <=2.9 or 1.0-1.1
  2. Confirm WebGL support in the browser
    In Firefox: type 'about:support' in the address bar and search for 'WebGL'. In other products, check Preferences > Advanced > General for WebGL or hardware acceleration settings.
    Affected if WebGL is listed as supported or enabled in the browser configuration.
  3. Verify if WebGL is actively used or accessible
    Visit a WebGL test page (such as webgl.org) or check browser console for WebGL context availability via: var canvas = document.createElement('canvas'); var gl = canvas.getContext('webgl');
    Affected if WebGL context can be created without errors, indicating the feature is functional and exploitable.

You are affected if your installed product version matches the affected list AND WebGL is enabled and functional in your environment.

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 2.9
Interim mitigation

Deploy security updates (Firefox 12+/ESR 10.0.4+, Thunderbird 12+/ESR 10.0.4+, SeaMonkey 2.9+) to all affected client systems. Until patched, disable WebGL in browser settings as a temporary workaround.

Recommended fix High confidence

Firefox 12.0+ / Thunderbird 12.0+ / Thunderbird ESR 10.0.4+ / SeaMonkey 2.9+

  1. 1. Identify the currently installed Mozilla product (Firefox, Thunderbird, or SeaMonkey) and its exact version.
  2. 2. For Firefox: Upgrade to Firefox 12.0 or later, which contains the fix for this WebGL vulnerability.
  3. 3. For Thunderbird: Upgrade to Thunderbird 12.0 or later, which contains the fix for this WebGL vulnerability.
  4. 4. For Thunderbird ESR: Upgrade to Thunderbird ESR 10.0.4 or later (10.0.4 specifically addressed this CVE).
  5. 5. For SeaMonkey: Upgrade to SeaMonkey 2.9 or later.
  6. 6. After upgrading, verify the new version by checking Help > About [Product Name].
  7. 7. Ensure WebGL is enabled only on trusted sites if keeping default settings, though the vulnerability is now patched.
Caveat These are major version jumps from very old releases (2011-2012 era); ensure compatibility with any legacy add-ons or enterprise dependencies before upgrading.

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

Fix this in Firefox Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,490
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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-2012-0478 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