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FirefoxWeb browser · Mozilla

CVE-2016-1969

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2016-03-13
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 44.0.2 or later.
See remediation →
95/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges

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
The setAttr function in Graphite 2 before 1.3.6, as used in Mozilla Firefox before 45.0 and Firefox ESR 38.x before 38.6.1, allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (out-of-bounds write) or possibly have unspecified other impact via a crafted Graphite smart font.

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

Memory corruption vulnerability in the setAttr function of Graphite 2 library before version 1.3.6 allows remote attackers to trigger out-of-bounds write operations via specially crafted Graphite smart fonts, potentially leading to denial of service or arbitrary code execution.

MitigationUpdate Graphite 2 to version 1.3.6 or later, or upgrade Mozilla Firefox to version 45.0+ (or Firefox ESR 38.6.1+) to incorporate the patched 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:<= 44.0.2= 38.0= 38.0.1= 38.0.5= 38.1.0= 38.1.1= 38.2.0= 38.2.1= 38.3.0= 38.4.0= 38.5.0= 38.5.1
Graphite2Application
Affected:<= 1.3.5

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
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

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 Mozilla Firefox version
    Run 'firefox --version' or look in Help > About Firefox. On Windows check the executable properties or registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Mozilla\Mozilla Firefox\CurrentVersion
    Affected if Firefox version is 44.0.2 or lower, or matches 38.0 through 38.5.1 (specifically 38.0, 38.0.1, 38.0.5, 38.1.0, 38.1.1, 38.2.0, 38.2.1, 38.3.0, 38.4.0, 38.5.0, 38.5.1)
  2. Check Graphite 2 library version
    On Linux: run 'dpkg -l libgraphite2-3' or 'rpm -q graphite2'. On macOS: check /usr/lib/libgraphite* or via Homebrew 'brew list graphite'. On Windows check the DLL version of graphited.dll if present in the Firefox install directory
    Affected if Graphite 2 library version is 1.3.5 or lower
  3. Verify if Graphite smart fonts are in use
    Check for .ttf or .otf font files containing Graphite tables in system font directories (e.g., /usr/share/fonts on Linux, C:\Windows\Fonts on Windows) or browser font cache. These fonts are identified by the 'Silf' table in the font file
    Affected if Graphite-enabled fonts (.ttf/.otf with 'Silf' table) are installed and Firefox is used to render content using them
  4. Confirm Graphite rendering support in Firefox
    In Firefox, navigate to about:config and search for 'graphite' preferences, or check if the browser processes Graphite font tables. Visit a page using a Graphite font to trigger the vulnerable code path
    Affected if Firefox renders content using Graphite-enabled fonts, which activates the setAttr function in the vulnerable library

You are affected if you run Mozilla Firefox version 44.0.2 or lower (or any 38.x version from 38.0 to 38.5.1), or have Graphite 2 library version 1.3.5 or lower installed, AND the system uses Graphite smart fonts that trigger the setAttr function code path.

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 44.0.2
Interim mitigation

Update Graphite 2 to version 1.3.6 or later, or upgrade Mozilla Firefox to version 45.0+ (or Firefox ESR 38.6.1+) to incorporate the patched library.

Fix this in Firefox Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,380
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,808.

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-2016-1969 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