FirefoxWeb browser · Mozilla

CVE-2015-2733

HIGH · 10.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2015-07-06
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 38.1.0 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
Use-after-free vulnerability in the CanonicalizeXPCOMParticipant function in Mozilla Firefox before 39.0 and Firefox ESR 31.x before 31.8 and 38.x before 38.1 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via vectors involving attachment of an XMLHttpRequest object to a dedicated worker.

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

Use-after-free vulnerability in Firefox's CanonicalizeXPCOMParticipant function allows remote code execution through malicious XMLHttpRequest objects attached to dedicated WebWorkers, causing memory corruption after object release.

MitigationUpgrade Firefox to version 39.0 or later (or ESR 31.8+/38.1+) across all affected endpoints; deploy via enterprise patch management tooling.

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:<= 38.1.0= 31.0= 31.1.0= 31.1.1= 31.3.0= 31.5.1= 31.5.2= 31.5.3= 38.0
Firefox EsrWeb browser
Affected:= 31.1= 31.2= 31.3= 31.4= 31.5= 31.6.0= 31.7.0
SolarisOperating system
Affected:= 11.3
Suse Linux Enterprise DesktopOperating system
Affected:= 11= 12.0
Suse Linux Enterprise ServerOperating system
Affected:= 12.0

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. Identify installed Firefox version
    Run 'firefox --version' from command line, or check 'About Firefox' from the application menu, or query the system package manager (dpkg -l firefox, rpm -q firefox, pkginfo -l firefox)
    Affected if Version matches any of: 38.1.0, 31.0, 31.1.0, 31.1.1, 31.3.0, 31.5.1, 31.5.2, 31.5.3, 38.0 (or falls within <= 38.1.0 range for unlisted 31.x/38.x versions)
  2. Identify installed Firefox ESR version
    Run 'firefox --version' and check the ESR designation, or query system packages (dpkg -l firefox-esr, rpm -q firefox-esr)
    Affected if Version matches any of: 31.1, 31.2, 31.3, 31.4, 31.5, 31.6.0, 31.7.0 (or falls within the 31.x ESR range before 31.8.0)
  3. Check for Firefox on Oracle Solaris 11.3
    Query the Solaris package database: 'pkginfo -l firefox' or 'pkg list firefox'
    Affected if Firefox package is installed on Solaris 11.3 (any version present indicates the vulnerable bundled browser)
  4. Check for Firefox on SUSE Linux Enterprise
    Query SUSE packages: 'rpm -q firefox' (SLED) or 'rpm -q firefox' (SLES)
    Affected if Firefox package is installed on SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 11/12.0 or Server 12.0

A system is affected if any installed Firefox or Firefox ESR version matches the specific vulnerable versions listed (31.x through 31.7.0 or 38.0/38.1.0), or if Firefox is present on Solaris 11.3 or SUSE Linux Enterprise 11/12.0 systems.

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 38.1.0
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Firefox to version 39.0 or later (or ESR 31.8+/38.1+) across all affected endpoints; deploy via enterprise patch management tooling.

Recommended fix High confidence

Firefox 39.0 or later; Firefox ESR 31.8 or later; Firefox ESR 38.1 or later

  1. Upgrade Firefox to version 39.0 or later
  2. If using Firefox ESR 31.x, upgrade to Firefox ESR 31.8 or later
  3. If using Firefox ESR 38.x, upgrade to Firefox ESR 38.1 or later
  4. Restart the browser after upgrading
Caveat Review release notes for potential compatibility issues with existing add-ons or web applications

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
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,490
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,984.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2015-2733 — 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 sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2015-2733 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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