FirefoxWeb browser · Mozilla
CVE-2016-5275
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 · uneditedBuffer overflow in the mozilla::gfx::FilterSupport::ComputeSourceNeededRegions function in Mozilla Firefox before 49.0 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code by leveraging improper interaction between empty filters and CANVAS element rendering.
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 confidenceBuffer overflow in Mozilla Firefox's graphics filter processing (mozilla::gfx::FilterSupport::ComputeSourceNeededRegions) allows remote code execution via crafted empty SVG filters interacting with HTML5 CANVAS element rendering in versions before 49.0.
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
<= 48.0.2CVSS 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
- 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check Firefox versionOpen Firefox, click the menu button (three horizontal lines), go to Help > About Firefox. The version number will be displayed. Alternatively, type 'about:support' in the address bar and look for the Version field.Affected if The installed version is 48.0.2 or earlier (any version up to and including 48.0.2)
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Identify graphics filter usageCheck if the browser is rendering web content that uses SVG filter elements. Inspect page source or network traffic for SVG filter definitions using <filter> tags, particularly those with empty or minimal filter primitives.Affected if Web pages contain SVG filter elements being processed by the browser's graphics subsystem
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Verify Canvas rendering contextExamine if HTML5 CANVAS elements are being used in conjunction with SVG filters. Look for <canvas> tags in HTML or JavaScript code that creates CanvasRenderingContext2D instances that reference SVG filter URLs via the filter CSS property.Affected if HTML5 CANVAS elements are rendering with SVG filter effects applied
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Confirm vulnerable component interactionThe flaw exists in mozilla::gfx::FilterSupport::ComputeSourceNeededRegions. This function processes SVG filter regions when Canvas renders. Check if any local or remote content exercises this code path through combined SVG filter and Canvas usage.Affected if Content triggers the ComputeSourceNeededRegions function with crafted empty SVG filters during Canvas rendering
The environment is affected if Firefox version is 48.0.2 or earlier AND content using SVG filters with HTML5 Canvas is being rendered.
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 to Firefox 49.0 or later to patch the vulnerable ComputeSourceNeededRegions function in the graphics filter processing code.
Fix this in Firefox
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,176.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-5275 — 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-2016-5275 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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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