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Firefox MobileWeb browser · Mozilla

CVE-2012-1142

HIGH · 9.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2012-04-25
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 10.0.3 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
FreeType before 2.4.9, as used in Mozilla Firefox Mobile before 10.0.4 and other products, allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (invalid heap write operation and memory corruption) or possibly execute arbitrary code via crafted glyph-outline data in a font.

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 · moderate confidence

FreeType before 2.4.9 contains a heap-based memory corruption vulnerability in its glyph-outline parsing routine. Attackers can exploit this by tricking users into loading specially crafted font files, causing invalid heap writes that lead to denial of service or potentially arbitrary code execution.

MitigationUpdate FreeType library to version 2.4.9 or later. For applications using bundled FreeType, rebuild with the patched version and verify font rendering functionality.

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
Firefox MobileWeb browser
Affected:<= 10.0.3= 1.0= 4.0= 5.0= 6.0= 6.0.1= 6.0.2= 7.0= 8.0= 9.0= 10.0= 10.0.1
FreetypeApplication
Affected:<= 2.4.8= 1.3.1= 2.0.0= 2.0.1= 2.0.2= 2.0.3= 2.0.4= 2.0.5= 2.0.6= 2.0.7= 2.0.8= 2.0.9

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. Check FreeType library version
    Run 'freetype-config --version' or check the library file with 'dpkg -l libfreetype6' (Debian) / 'rpm -q freetype' (RHEL)
    Affected if Version is 2.4.8 or earlier, or equals 1.3.1, or any 2.0.x release (2.0.0 through 2.0.9)
  2. Identify applications linking to vulnerable FreeType
    Use 'ldd /path/to/application' or check package dependencies to see which apps use the system FreeType library
    Affected if Any application using the vulnerable FreeType library version is present and processes untrusted font files
  3. Check for bundled FreeType in applications
    Inspect application installation directories for embedded FreeType DLL/SO files (e.g., libfreetype.so in application bin folder)
    Affected if Application bundles its own FreeType copy and that copy is version 2.4.8 or earlier
  4. Verify Mozilla Firefox Mobile version
    Check installed package version via package manager or app settings - affected versions are 1.0, 4.0, 5.0, 6.0, 6.0.1, 6.0.2, 7.0, 8.0, 9.0, 10.0, 10.0.1, 10.0.3
    Affected if Firefox Mobile version matches any of the listed affected versions (specifically any version <= 10.0.3 from the list)

You are affected if your system has FreeType library version 2.4.8 or earlier, or if Mozilla Firefox Mobile version matches any of the specific versions listed in the affected products range.

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 10.0.3
Interim mitigation

Update FreeType library to version 2.4.9 or later. For applications using bundled FreeType, rebuild with the patched version and verify font rendering functionality.

Recommended fix High confidence

FreeType 2.4.9 or later; Firefox Mobile 10.0.4 or later

  1. Upgrade FreeType library to version 2.4.9 or later
  2. If using Firefox Mobile, upgrade to version 10.0.4 or later which includes the fixed FreeType library
  3. Verify the upgrade by checking the FreeType library version (freetype-config --version or equivalent)
  4. Test that applications using FreeType function correctly after the upgrade

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

Fix this in Firefox Mobile Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
22.0 hours of engineering $3,860
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,176.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

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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-2012-1142 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