FirefoxWeb browser · Mozilla
CVE-2016-1948
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 · uneditedMozilla Firefox before 44.0 on Android does not ensure that HTTPS is used for a lightweight-theme installation, which allows man-in-the-middle attackers to replace a theme's images and colors by modifying the client-server data stream.
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 confidenceMozilla Firefox before version 44.0 on Android does not enforce HTTPS when installing lightweight themes, allowing man-in-the-middle attackers to intercept and modify theme images and colors by tampering with the client-server data stream during theme download.
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
= 43.0.4all versionsCVSS 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
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N
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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
-
Confirm Firefox for Android is installedCheck the device for the Mozilla Firefox application. Go to Settings > Apps on the Android device and look for 'Firefox' or 'Firefox for Android' in the installed applications list.Affected if Firefox for Android is not installed on the device
-
Identify the Firefox for Android versionOpen Firefox for Android, tap the three-dot menu, go to Settings, then scroll down to 'About Firefox'. The version number is displayed on that screen.Affected if The version cannot be determined or the app is not Firefox for Android
-
Compare installed version against affected rangeCompare the version found in the previous step to the affected range: version 43.0.4 and earlier versions of Firefox for Android are affected. Version 44.0 and later are not affected.Affected if The installed version is 43.0.4 or any version earlier than 44.0
-
Verify the device platform is AndroidConfirm the Firefox application is running on a Google Android device. This vulnerability only affects Firefox on Android, not on other operating systems.Affected if The device is not running Android
A user is affected if Firefox for Android version 43.0.4 or earlier is installed on a Google Android device, regardless of whether lightweight themes have been used.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 dataUpgrade Mozilla Firefox for Android to version 44.0 or later, which enforces HTTPS for lightweight theme installations.
Fix this in Firefox
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,200.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-1948 — 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 sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2016-1948 in production — separate from our analysis above.
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.
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.
- 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