FirefoxWeb browser · Mozilla

CVE-2015-7176

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v2.0 Published 2015-09-24

Fix available

A fix is available. Upgrade to after 40.0.3 or later.

See remediation →

84/100

Remediation priority · High

Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description

NVD · unedited

The AnimationThread function in Mozilla Firefox before 41.0 and Firefox ESR 38.x before 38.3 uses an incorrect argument to the sscanf function, which might allow remote attackers to cause a denial of service (stack-based buffer overflow and application crash) or possibly have unspecified other impact via unknown vectors.

Technical summary

dbcve analysis · high confidence

A stack-based buffer overflow vulnerability exists in the AnimationThread function in Mozilla Firefox versions before 41.0 and Firefox ESR versions before 38.3. The issue stems from an incorrect argument being passed to the sscanf function, which can cause a stack buffer overflow leading to application crash or potential remote code execution.

MitigationUpgrade Mozilla Firefox to version 41.0 or later, or Firefox ESR to version 38.3 or later, to remediate this vulnerability.

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

CVSS breakdown

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?

dbcve checks

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

Check if Firefox is installed

On Windows, check for Firefox in Program Files or via registry. On Linux, run 'which firefox' or check /usr/bin/firefox. On macOS, check /Applications/Firefox.app.

Affected if Firefox is not installed on the system
Determine installed Firefox version

On Windows, go to Help > About Firefox, or check the version in the registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Mozilla\Mozilla Firefox\CurrentVersion. On Linux, run 'firefox --version'. On macOS, right-click Firefox.app > Get Info.

Affected if Unable to determine the installed version
Identify if Firefox is standard or ESR release

On Windows, check the registry key HKLM\SOFTWARE\Mozilla\Mozilla Firefox\CurrentVersion for 'ESR' in the version string, or check for the presence of the ESR update channel. On Linux, run 'firefox --version' - ESR versions typically include 'ESR' in the output.

Affected if Cannot determine whether the installation is standard Firefox or Firefox ESR
Compare version against affected ranges

For standard Firefox: version must be < 41.0 to be affected. For Firefox ESR: version must be < 38.3 to be affected. Review the specific affected versions listed: 38.0, 38.0.1, 38.0.5, 38.1.0, 38.1.1, 38.2.0, 38.2.1, and any version <= 40.0.3.

Affected if Installed version falls below 41.0 for standard Firefox or below 38.3 for Firefox ESR

A user is affected if they are running any version of Mozilla Firefox below 41.0 or Firefox ESR below 38.3, specifically versions 38.0 through 40.0.3.

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

Remediation

From vendor data

Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 40.0.3

Interim mitigation

Upgrade Mozilla Firefox to version 41.0 or later, or Firefox ESR to version 38.3 or later, to remediate this 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

Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,424.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally

dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2015-7176 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

References

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2015-7176 in production — separate from our analysis above.

Notes0 Guidelines

Know something about CVE-2015-7176?

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

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

At a glance

A fix existsUpgrade to after 40.0.3 or later

Severity 7.5 High

Exploit likelihood EPSS, next 30 days 4.4%

Affects: Firefox

Remediation

A high-priority fix

Fix this in Firefox 5 hrs · Low

Typical engagement from $890

Get a fix See the full breakdown ↓

A high-priority vulnerability. Send your environment and a specialist will scope CVE-2015-7176 and return a fixed quote and timeline.

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