FirefoxWeb browser · Mozilla
CVE-2012-3980
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 · uneditedThe web console in Mozilla Firefox before 15.0, Firefox ESR 10.x before 10.0.7, Thunderbird before 15.0, and Thunderbird ESR 10.x before 10.0.7 allows user-assisted remote attackers to execute arbitrary JavaScript code with chrome privileges via a crafted web site that injects this code and triggers an eval operation.
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 confidenceThe web console in Mozilla Firefox and Thunderbird versions prior to 15.0 (and ESR versions prior to 10.0.7) contains a vulnerability where a malicious website can inject and execute arbitrary JavaScript code with chrome privileges by triggering an eval operation. This gives attackers full access to browser/application functions and the underlying system.
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
= 10.0= 10.0.1= 10.0.2= 10.0.3= 10.0.4= 10.0.5= 10.0.6<= 14.0= 1.0= 1.0.1= 1.0.2= 1.0.3<= 14.0= 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= 1.5= 1.5.0.1= 10.0= 10.0.1= 10.0.2= 10.0.3= 10.0.4= 10.0.5= 10.0.6CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check Firefox versionOpen Firefox, click Help > About Firefox, or navigate to about:support, or run: firefox --versionAffected if Version is 10.0 through 10.0.6, 14.0 or earlier, or 1.0.x series (any version listed in the affected products)
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Check Thunderbird versionOpen Thunderbird, click Help > About Thunderbird, or navigate to about:support, or run: thunderbird --versionAffected if Version is 14.0 or earlier, 1.0.x through 1.0.8, 1.5.x, or 10.0 through 10.0.6 (ESR)
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Verify web console is accessibleIn Firefox or Thunderbird, press Ctrl+Shift+K (or Cmd+Shift+K on Mac) to open the Developer/Web ConsoleAffected if Console opens successfully - the vulnerable component is present in the installation
You are affected if you are running any Firefox version 1.0.x, 10.0-10.0.6, or 14.0 and earlier, or any Thunderbird version 1.0.x, 1.5.x, 10.0-10.0.6, or 14.0 and earlier, with the web console feature accessible.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 · scopedUpdate affected installations to Firefox 15.0+, Firefox ESR 10.0.7+, Thunderbird 15.0+, or Thunderbird ESR 10.0.7+ or later versions. This is a critical update as it patches arbitrary code execution with elevated privileges.
Firefox 15.0 or later (or Firefox ESR 10.0.7+); Thunderbird 15.0 or later (or Thunderbird ESR 10.0.7+)
- Upgrade Firefox to version 15.0 or later (or Firefox ESR 10.0.7 or later if requiring extended support release)
- Upgrade Thunderbird to version 15.0 or later (or Thunderbird ESR 10.0.7 or later if requiring extended support release)
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in Firefox
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,200.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2012-3980 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2012-3980 in production — separate from our analysis above.
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
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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.
- 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