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FirefoxWeb browser · Mozilla

CVE-2015-4506

MEDIUM · 6.8 CVSS v2.0 Published 2015-09-24
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 40.0.3 or later.
See remediation →
77/100
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 vp9_init_context_buffers function in libvpx, as used in Mozilla Firefox before 41.0 and Firefox ESR 38.x before 38.3, allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted VP9 file.

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 the vp9_init_context_buffers function in libvpx library allows remote code execution when processing a crafted VP9 video file. Affects Firefox versions before 41.0 and Firefox ESR versions before 38.3.

MitigationUpdate Mozilla Firefox to version 41.0 or later, or Firefox ESR to version 38.3 or later, to apply the patched libvpx library.

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:<= 40.0.3= 38.0= 38.0.1= 38.0.5= 38.1.0= 38.1.1= 38.2.0= 38.2.1

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
M
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Partial
Integrity
Partial
Availability
Partial

AV:N/AC:M/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. Check installed Firefox version
    Open Firefox, click the menu button (three horizontal lines), select Help, then About Firefox. The version number will be displayed on the page that opens.
    Affected if The version displayed is 40.0.3 or lower, or is one of: 38.0, 38.0.1, 38.0.5, 38.1.0, 38.1.1, 38.2.0, or 38.2.1
  2. Confirm Firefox ESR version if applicable
    If using Firefox ESR, the version check will show 'Firefox ESR' alongside the number. Note that ESR versions 38.0 through 38.2.1 are affected.
    Affected if The version shows Firefox ESR 38.0 through 38.2.1
  3. Verify VP9 video playback capability
    This vulnerability exists in the built-in libvpx library that handles VP9 video decoding in Firefox. VP9 support is included by default in affected Firefox versions and cannot be disabled separately.
    Affected if The installed Firefox version matches the affected versions listed above - the VP9 handling code is present and vulnerable by default

A user is affected if their Firefox installation shows a version of 40.0.3 or lower, or any of the specific 38.x versions (38.0, 38.0.1, 38.0.5, 38.1.0, 38.1.1, 38.2.0, 38.2.1), including ESR variants.

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 40.0.3
Interim mitigation

Update Mozilla Firefox to version 41.0 or later, or Firefox ESR to version 38.3 or later, to apply the patched libvpx library.

Fix this in Firefox Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,090
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,744.

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-2015-4506 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