FirefoxWeb browser · Mozilla

CVE-2014-1577

MEDIUM · 6.4 CVSS v2.0 Published 2014-10-15

Fix available

A fix is available. Upgrade to after 32.0 or later.

See remediation →

73/100

Remediation priority · Elevated

Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description

NVD · unedited

The mozilla::dom::OscillatorNodeEngine::ComputeCustom function in the Web Audio subsystem in Mozilla Firefox before 33.0, Firefox ESR 31.x before 31.2, and Thunderbird 31.x before 31.2 allows remote attackers to obtain sensitive information from process memory or cause a denial of service (out-of-bounds read, memory corruption, and application crash) via an invalid custom waveform that triggers a calculation of a negative frequency value.

Technical summary

dbcve analysis · high confidence

Memory safety vulnerability in Mozilla's Web Audio subsystem where the OscillatorNodeEngine::ComputeCustom function fails to properly validate custom waveform parameters before frequency calculations. When an invalid custom waveform triggers a negative frequency computation, it causes an out-of-bounds read operation that can expose sensitive process memory contents or corrupt memory leading to application crash.

MitigationUpgrade Mozilla Firefox to version 33.0 or later, Firefox ESR to 31.2 or later, or Thunderbird to 31.2 or later. Alternatively, disable Web Audio API usage in untrusted contexts until patches are applied.

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:= 31.0= 31.1.0<= 32.0= 30.0

ThunderbirdApplication

Affected:= 31.0= 31.1.0

CVSS breakdown

From the vector

Attack vector: Network
Complexity: Low
Authentication: None
Confidentiality: Partial
Integrity: None
Availability: Partial

AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:N/A:P

Am I affected?

dbcve checks

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

Check Firefox version on the system

In Firefox, go to Help > About Firefox, or enter 'about:support' in the address bar. Alternatively, check the installed package manager or application metadata.

Affected if The installed Firefox version is 30.0, 31.0, 31.1.0, or any version <= 32.0 (such as 31.0.x, 31.1.x, 31.2.x, 31.3.x, 32.0). Versions 33.0 and later, or ESR 31.2 and later, are not affected.
Check Thunderbird version on the system

In Thunderbird, go to Help > About Thunderbird, or check the installed package manager or application metadata.

Affected if The installed Thunderbird version is 31.0 or 31.1.0. Versions 31.2 and later are not affected.
Verify Web Audio API usage in your environment

Review whether Firefox or Thunderbird is used to render or process untrusted web content that could invoke the Web Audio API with custom waveforms (OscillatorNode with type='custom'). This is an inherent browser feature; inspect browser security settings or extension configurations that may control API access.

Affected if If the affected browser version is installed AND untrusted web content can execute JavaScript using the Web Audio API with custom waveform definitions, the system is vulnerable to memory exposure or crashes.

Your environment is affected if you are running Firefox 30.0 through 32.0 (including all 31.x variants) or Thunderbird 31.0/31.1.0, and these applications can process untrusted content using the Web Audio API with custom waveforms.

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

Remediation

From vendor data

Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 32.0

Interim mitigation

Upgrade Mozilla Firefox to version 33.0 or later, Firefox ESR to 31.2 or later, or Thunderbird to 31.2 or later. Alternatively, disable Web Audio API usage in untrusted contexts until patches are applied.

Fix this in Firefox Scoped from the published advisory

Consultation2.0 h
Implementation1.0 h
Testing2.0 h
Review / QA1.0 h

6.0 hours of engineering $1,060

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Scan for this in your stack

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References

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2014-1577 in production — separate from our analysis above.

Notes0 Guidelines

Know something about CVE-2014-1577?

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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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 32.0 or later

Severity 6.4 Medium

Exploit likelihood EPSS, next 30 days 2.9%

Affects: Firefox

Remediation

Need this fixed?

Fix this in Firefox 6 hrs · Low

Typical engagement from $1,060

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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