FirefoxWeb browser · Mozilla
CVE-2016-2817
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 · uneditedThe WebExtension sandbox feature in browser/components/extensions/ext-tabs.js in Mozilla Firefox before 46.0 does not properly restrict principal inheritance during chrome.tabs.create and chrome.tabs.update API calls, which allows remote attackers to conduct Universal XSS (UXSS) attacks via a crafted extension that accesses a (1) javascript: or (2) data: URL.
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 confidenceFirefox before 46.0 has a flaw in its WebExtension sandbox (ext-tabs.js) where chrome.tabs.create and chrome.tabs.update APIs do not properly restrict principal inheritance. This allows a crafted malicious extension to access javascript: or data: URLs, leading to Universal XSS (UXSS) attacks where the extension can execute code in the context of any website.
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
<= 45.0.2CVSS 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
- Low
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/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.
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Check Firefox versionNavigate to Help > About Firefox or type 'about:firefox' in the address bar to see the installed version numberAffected if Version is 45.0.2 or earlier (any version before 46.0)
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Identify installed extensionsNavigate to about:addons and review the list of installed extensions and themesAffected if Any extension is installed, especially from untrusted sources, as the vulnerability allows any extension to perform the attack
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Review extension permissionsClick on each extension in about:addons and inspect its permissions - look for extensions with broad tab or web access permissionsAffected if Extensions with 'Access your tabs' or 'Access browsing activity' permissions are present
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Check for suspicious tab behaviorMonitor for unexpected browser tabs opening with javascript: or data: URLs, or inspect recent browsing history for unfamiliar pagesAffected if Unknown javascript: or data: URL pages appear in browsing history
A user is affected if their Firefox version is 45.0.2 or earlier AND they have any extensions installed, as the vulnerability enables any extension to execute code in any website context.
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 dataUpdate Firefox to version 46.0 or later. Organizations should ensure automated browser update deployment or consider restricting extension installation permissions.
Fix this in Firefox
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation1.0 h
- Testing1.0 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-2016-2817 — 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-2016-2817 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
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- 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
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