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FirefoxWeb browser · Mozilla

CVE-2015-2716

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v2.0 Published 2015-05-14
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 37.0.2 or later.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
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
Buffer overflow in the XML parser in Mozilla Firefox before 38.0, Firefox ESR 31.x before 31.7, and Thunderbird before 31.7 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code by providing a large amount of compressed XML data, a related issue to CVE-2015-1283.

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

Buffer overflow vulnerability in Mozilla's XML parser allows remote code execution via specially crafted large compressed XML data. Affects Firefox <38.0, Firefox ESR <31.7, and Thunderbird <31.7.

MitigationApply vendor patches by upgrading to Firefox 38.0+, Firefox ESR 31.7+, or Thunderbird 31.7+ to eliminate the vulnerability.

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:<= 37.0.2= 31.0= 31.1.0= 31.1.1= 31.3.0= 31.5.1= 31.5.2= 31.5.3
Firefox EsrWeb browser
Affected:= 31.1= 31.2= 31.3= 31.4= 31.5= 31.6.0
Suse Linux Enterprise Software Development KitApplication
Affected:= 12.0
Suse Linux Enterprise DesktopOperating system
Affected:= 12.0
Suse Linux Enterprise ServerOperating system
Affected:= 12.0
OpensuseOperating system
Affected:= 13.1= 13.2
ThunderbirdApplication
Affected:<= 31.5
SolarisOperating system
Affected:= 11.3

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
Partial
Integrity
Partial
Availability
Partial

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

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

  1. Identify installed Mozilla product
    Check if Firefox, Firefox ESR, or Thunderbird is installed on the system. On Linux, common paths include /usr/bin/firefox, /usr/bin/thunderbird, or check package manager listings (dpkg -l, rpm -qa). On Windows, check Program Files for Mozilla folders.
    Affected if Any of Firefox, Firefox ESR, or Thunderbird is installed
  2. Determine Firefox version
    Run 'firefox --version' or open 'about:firefox' in the browser address bar. On Windows, right-click the executable and select Properties > Details for version information.
    Affected if Version is <38.0 or matches one of the specific affected versions listed (37.0.2, 31.0, 31.1.0, 31.1.1, 31.3.0, 31.5.1, 31.5.2, 31.5.3)
  3. Determine Firefox ESR version
    Run 'firefox --version' (ESR versions typically include 'ESR' in the about dialog). Check package name if installed via package manager (e.g., 'firefox-esr' package on Linux).
    Affected if Version is <31.7 or matches one of the specific affected ESR versions (31.1, 31.2, 31.3, 31.4, 31.5, 31.6.0)
  4. Determine Thunderbird version
    Run 'thunderbird --version' or open 'about:thunderbird' in the application. On Windows, right-click the executable and select Properties > Details.
    Affected if Version is <=31.5 (any version 31.5 or below)

A user is affected if Firefox is below 38.0, Firefox ESR is below 31.7, or Thunderbird is 31.5 or below, as the buffer overflow in the XML parser applies to all configurations where these versions process XML content.

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.

From vendor data
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 37.0.2
Interim mitigation

Apply vendor patches by upgrading to Firefox 38.0+, Firefox ESR 31.7+, or Thunderbird 31.7+ to eliminate the vulnerability.

Fix this in Firefox Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
5.0 hours of engineering $890
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Scan for this in your stack

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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-2015-2716 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