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FirefoxWeb browser · Mozilla

CVE-2012-4190

HIGH · 10.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2012-10-12
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 16.0 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 FT2FontEntry::CreateFontEntry function in FreeType, as used in the Android build of Mozilla Firefox before 16.0.1 on CyanogenMod 10, allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (memory corruption and application crash) or possibly execute arbitrary code via unspecified vectors.

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 the FT2FontEntry::CreateFontEntry function within the FreeType font library, as integrated into Mozilla Firefox for Android. The vulnerability allows remote attackers to corrupt memory via specially crafted font files, leading to denial of service or potential arbitrary code execution.

MitigationUpgrade Mozilla Firefox for Android to version 16.0.1 or later, which addresses the memory corruption in FreeType's font entry handling.

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:<= 16.0= 0.1= 0.2= 0.3= 0.4= 0.5= 0.6= 0.6.1= 0.7= 0.7.1= 0.8= 0.9
CyanogenmodOperating system
Affected:= 10

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
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:N/AC:L/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. Verify Firefox for Android is installed
    Check if the Firefox for Android app is present on the device via Android Settings > Apps, or by running: adb shell pm list packages | grep -i firefox
    Affected if The Firefox for Android package (typically org.mozilla.firefox) is found on the device
  2. Determine Firefox for Android version
    Navigate to Settings > Apps > Firefox > Version info, or use: adb shell dumpsys package org.mozilla.firefox | grep versionName
    Affected if Unable to determine version or version info is missing
  3. Compare installed version against affected range
    Compare the installed version number to the affected versions: <= 16.0, or exactly 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6, 0.6.1, 0.7, 0.7.1, 0.8, or 0.9
    Affected if Installed version matches any version in the affected list (16.0 or below, or any of the 0.x versions listed)
  4. Check for custom ROM integration (Cyanogenmod)
    If the device runs Cyanogenmod 10, check if Firefox for Android came pre-installed or was included in the ROM build. Verify ROM version via Settings > About Phone > Cyanogenmod version
    Affected if Device runs Cyanogenmod 10 with pre-installed Firefox for Android at a vulnerable version

A user is affected if Firefox for Android is installed at version 16.0 or below, or at any of the specific 0.x versions (0.1 through 0.9), particularly on Cyanogenmod 10 devices.

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 16.0
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Mozilla Firefox for Android to version 16.0.1 or later, which addresses the memory corruption in FreeType's font entry handling.

Recommended fix High confidence

Firefox 16.0.1 or later (preferably latest stable release)

  1. Open the application store on the Android device (Google Play Store)
  2. Search for Mozilla Firefox
  3. Tap Update to install the latest version of Firefox
  4. Alternatively, navigate to https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/android/ to download the latest Firefox release
  5. After updating, restart Firefox to ensure the new version is fully loaded
  6. Verify the installed version by going to Menu > Help > About Firefox
Caveat Upgrading from such an old Firefox version (pre-16) may result in loss of older add-ons, bookmarks, or settings that are incompatible with modern versions; ensure to back up browser data before upgrading

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

Fix this in Firefox Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,560
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,096.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
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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-2012-4190 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