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FirefoxWeb browser · Mozilla

CVE-2015-7196

MEDIUM · 6.8 CVSS v2.0 Published 2015-11-05
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 41.0.2 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
Mozilla Firefox before 42.0 and Firefox ESR 38.x before 38.4, when a Java plugin is enabled, allow remote attackers to cause a denial of service (incorrect garbage collection and application crash) or possibly execute arbitrary code via a crafted Java applet that deallocates an in-use JavaScript wrapper.

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 Java plugin integration where a crafted Java applet can deallocate a JavaScript wrapper while still in use, causing incorrect garbage collection leading to denial of service or potentially arbitrary code execution.

MitigationUpgrade Firefox to version 42.0 or later (or ESR to 38.4+) to obtain the fixed version; alternatively, disable the Java plugin in Firefox browser settings if upgrade is not immediately feasible.

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:<= 41.0.2= 38.0= 38.0.1= 38.0.5= 38.1.0= 38.1.1= 38.2.0= 38.2.1= 38.3.0

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
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. Identify installed Firefox version
    Run 'firefox --version' from command line, or on Windows check Help > About Firefox, or on Mac check Firefox > About Firefox. Also check Programs and Features (Windows) or Application folder (Mac) for Firefox entry.
    Affected if Version is 38.0, 38.0.1, 38.0.5, 38.1.0, 38.1.1, 38.2.0, 38.2.1, 38.3.0, or any version <= 41.0.2 (except 41.0.3 and above, or 38.4.0 and above in ESR)
  2. Verify Java plugin presence
    Open Firefox, go to Add-ons (Ctrl+Shift+A), click Plugins section. Look for 'Java Platform SE' or similar Java plugin entry in the list.
    Affected if Java plugin is listed in Firefox plugins (vulnerability requires Java plugin to be installed to be exploitable)
  3. Confirm Java plugin is enabled
    In Firefox Add-ons > Plugins, check the enable/disable status next to the Java plugin entry. If set to 'Always Activate' or 'Enable', the plugin is active.
    Affected if Java plugin is enabled/active in Firefox (vulnerability only triggers when Java plugin handles a crafted applet)
  4. Verify exact version number
    Cross-reference the version found in step 1 against the specific affected versions: 38.0, 38.0.1, 38.0.5, 38.1.0, 38.1.1, 38.2.0, 38.2.1, 38.3.0, or any version from 38.4.0 through 41.0.2
    Affected if Installed version exactly matches one of the listed affected versions or falls within the <= 41.0.2 range

You are affected if you are running any Firefox version from 38.0 through 41.0.2 (inclusive) AND have the Java plugin enabled in Firefox.

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 41.0.2
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Firefox to version 42.0 or later (or ESR to 38.4+) to obtain the fixed version; alternatively, disable the Java plugin in Firefox browser settings if upgrade is not immediately feasible.

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-2015-7196 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