FirefoxWeb browser · Mozilla
CVE-2014-1498
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 crypto.generateCRMFRequest method in Mozilla Firefox before 28.0 and SeaMonkey before 2.25 does not properly validate a certain key type, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (application crash) via vectors that trigger generation of a key that supports the Elliptic Curve ec-dual-use algorithm.
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 crypto.generateCRMFRequest method in Mozilla Firefox before 28.0 and SeaMonkey before 2.25 does not properly validate key types for Elliptic Curve ec-dual-use algorithm keys, allowing remote attackers to trigger an application crash via specially crafted requests.
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
< 28.0= 11= 11= 11= 11.3= 13.1= 11.4= 12.3< 2.25CVSS 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
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- Partial
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:P
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 browser versionIn Firefox, navigate to Help > About Firefox, or enter 'about:support' in the address bar to view the version numberAffected if The installed Firefox version is below 28.0 (for example, 27.x or earlier)
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Check SeaMonkey browser versionIn SeaMonkey, navigate to Help > About SeaMonkey to view the version numberAffected if The installed SeaMonkey version is below 2.25 (for example, 2.24 or earlier)
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Identify if crypto.generateCRMFRequest is in useSearch web application logs, scripts, or code that interacts with the browser's crypto API for calls to crypto.generateCRMFRequest methodAffected if The crypto.generateCRMFRequest method is being invoked with Elliptic Curve (EC) key parameters in an affected browser version
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Check SUSE Linux Enterprise bundled Firefox versionOn SUSE systems, check the installed Firefox package version using 'rpm -q firefox' or 'zypper info MozillaFirefox'Affected if The Firefox version shipped with SUSE Linux Enterprise 11 is below 28.0
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Check Oracle Solaris bundled Firefox versionOn Oracle Solaris 11.3, check the Firefox version using 'pkg list firefox' or check the application versionAffected if The Firefox version bundled with Oracle Solaris 11.3 is below 28.0
You are affected if you are running Firefox below 28.0 or SeaMonkey below 2.25, and your application or website uses the crypto.generateCRMFRequest method with Elliptic Curve keys.
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.
From vendor data2.2528.0
Upgrade to Firefox 28.0 or later, SeaMonkey 2.25 or later, or apply the vendor patch that adds proper validation of EC key types in crypto.generateCRMFRequest.
Fix this in Firefox
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation1.0 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-2014-1498 — 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-2014-1498 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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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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