FirefoxWeb browser · Mozilla

CVE-2013-5597

HIGH · 10.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2013-10-30

Fix available

A fix is available. Upgrade to after 24.0.1 or later.

See remediation →

100/100

Remediation priority · Urgent

Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description

NVD · unedited

Use-after-free vulnerability in the nsDocLoader::doStopDocumentLoad function in Mozilla Firefox before 25.0, Firefox ESR 17.x before 17.0.10 and 24.x before 24.1, Thunderbird before 24.1, Thunderbird ESR 17.x before 17.0.10, and SeaMonkey before 2.22 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (heap memory corruption) via vectors involving a state-change event during an update of the offline cache.

Technical summary

dbcve analysis · high confidence

A use-after-free vulnerability exists in Mozilla's nsDocLoader::doStopDocumentLoad function, where memory is accessed after being freed during document loading operations. The flaw is triggered when a state-change event occurs during an offline cache update, leading to heap memory corruption that can enable remote code execution.

MitigationUpgrade affected Mozilla products to patched versions: Firefox 25.0+, Firefox ESR 17.0.10+/24.1+, Thunderbird 24.1+, Thunderbird ESR 17.0.10+, or SeaMonkey 2.22+. Prioritize patching due to the CVSS 10 severity and active exploitation potential.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions

NVD · CPE data

FirefoxWeb browser

Affected:= 17.0= 17.0.1= 17.0.2= 17.0.3= 17.0.4= 17.0.5= 17.0.6= 17.0.7= 17.0.8= 17.0.9= 24.0= 24.0.1

Thunderbird EsrApplication

Affected:= 17.0= 17.0.1= 17.0.2= 17.0.3= 17.0.4= 17.0.5= 17.0.6= 17.0.7= 17.0.8= 17.0.9

ThunderbirdApplication

Affected:<= 24.0.1= 17.0= 17.0.1= 17.0.2= 17.0.3= 17.0.4= 17.0.5= 17.0.6= 17.0.7= 17.0.8= 24.0

SeamonkeyApplication

Affected:<= 2.22= 2.0= 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= 2.0.10

CVSS breakdown

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?

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

Identify the installed Mozilla product

Check which Mozilla application is installed by looking for executables or checking system information. Common locations: Windows: Program Files/Mozilla Firefox, Program Files/Mozilla Thunderbird; Linux: /usr/bin/firefox, /usr/bin/thunderbird; macOS: /Applications/Firefox.app, /Applications/Thunderbird.app

Affected if Any of Firefox, Thunderbird, Thunderbird ESR, or SeaMonkey is installed
Determine the installed Firefox version

For Firefox: Open menu > Help > About Firefox, or run 'firefox --version' from command line, or check the version in the application executable properties

Affected if Version is 17.0 through 17.0.9, 24.0, or 24.0.1
Determine the installed Thunderbird version

For Thunderbird: Open menu > Help > About Thunderbird, or run 'thunderbird --version' from command line, or check the version in the application executable properties

Affected if Version is 17.0 through 17.0.9, 24.0, or 24.0.1, or any version <= 24.0.1 for non-ESR versions
Determine the installed SeaMonkey version

For SeaMonkey: Open menu > Help > About SeaMonkey, or run 'seamonkey --version' from command line, or check the version in the application executable properties

Affected if Version is 2.0 through 2.0.10, or any version <= 2.22

You are affected if any Mozilla product is installed and its version matches one of the specific versions listed in the affected ranges (Firefox 17.0-17.0.9 or 24.0-24.1, Thunderbird <=24.0.1, SeaMonkey <=2.22).

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Remediation

dbcve · scoped

Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 24.0.1

Interim mitigation

Upgrade affected Mozilla products to patched versions: Firefox 25.0+, Firefox ESR 17.0.10+/24.1+, Thunderbird 24.1+, Thunderbird ESR 17.0.10+, or SeaMonkey 2.22+. Prioritize patching due to the CVSS 10 severity and active exploitation potential.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to Firefox 25.0+ (or Firefox ESR 24.1+), Thunderbird 24.1+ (or Thunderbird ESR 17.0.10+), or SeaMonkey 2.22+ depending on the product in use

1. Check the currently installed version of Mozilla product (Firefox, Thunderbird, or SeaMonkey) by accessing the application's About section
2. Determine which product and version is affected based on the installed software
3. For Firefox users: Upgrade to Firefox 25.0 or later (or Firefox ESR 24.1 or later for ESR users)
4. For Thunderbird users: Upgrade to Thunderbird 24.1 or later (or Thunderbird ESR 17.0.10 or later for ESR users)
5. For SeaMonkey users: Upgrade to SeaMonkey 2.22 or later
6. Download the latest version from the official Mozilla website or use the system's package manager to update
7. Restart the application after upgrading
8. Verify the installed version matches a fixed release

Caveat Upgrading to a newer major version may introduce changes to extensions, add-ons, or user preferences; some legacy extensions may not be compatible

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
Testing4.0 h
Review / QA2.0 h

15.0 hours of engineering $2,640

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Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally

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References

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2013-5597 in production — separate from our analysis above.

Notes0 Guidelines

Know something about CVE-2013-5597?

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

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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

At a glance

A fix existsUpgrade to after 24.0.1 or later

Severity 10.0 High

Exploit likelihood EPSS, next 30 days 6.3%

Affects: Firefox

Remediation

A high-priority fix

Fix this in Firefox 15 hrs · Moderate

Typical engagement from $2,640

Get a fix See the full breakdown ↓

A high-priority vulnerability. Send your environment and a specialist will scope CVE-2013-5597 and return a fixed quote and timeline.

You’ll deal with our team directly and deploy the reviewed fix to staging first — never straight to production.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Check your environment

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.

Scan for this in your stack

References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Practitioner notes

No notes yet

Official description

Technical summary

Affected products & versions

CVSS breakdown

Am I affected?

Remediation

References