Debian LinuxOperating system · Debian
CVE-2017-5462
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 · uneditedA flaw in DRBG number generation within the Network Security Services (NSS) library where the internal state V does not correctly carry bits over. The NSS library has been updated to fix this issue to address this issue and Firefox ESR 52.1 has been updated with NSS version 3.28.4. This vulnerability affects Thunderbird < 52.1, Firefox ESR < 45.9, Firefox ESR < 52.1, and Firefox < 53.
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 · moderate confidenceA flaw in NSS library's DRBG (Deterministic Random Bit Generator) prevents proper bit carryover in the internal state V, potentially weakening random number generation used for cryptographic operations.
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
Debian LinuxOperating system
= 8.0
FirefoxWeb browser
< 45.9.0< 53.0= 52.0< 3.28.4< 52.1.0CVSS 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.
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Check NSS library versionRun `pkg-config --modversion nss` or examine the NSS library file (typically libnss3.so) using `dpkg -l libnss3` on Debian-based systemsAffected if The installed NSS version is earlier than 3.28.4 (e.g., 3.x versions below 3.28.4)
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Check Firefox browser versionRun `firefox --version` or in the browser navigate to Help > About FirefoxAffected if The Firefox version is 52.0, or earlier than 45.9.0, or earlier than 53.0 (for non-ESR releases between 45.9 and 53)
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Check Thunderbird versionRun `thunderbird --version` or in the application navigate to Help > About ThunderbirdAffected if The Thunderbird version is earlier than 52.1.0
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Verify DRBG is in useConfirm the application uses NSS for cryptographic random number generation. This is the default behavior in Mozilla products using the NSS library. No specific configuration flag needs to be enabled - the vulnerable DRBG code runs automatically when NSS performs random operations.Affected if The system uses NSS for cryptographic operations (this is the default for Firefox, Thunderbird, and NSS-linked applications)
You are affected if NSS library version is below 3.28.4, or if Firefox is version 52.0 / below 45.9.0 / below 53.0, or if Thunderbird is below 52.1.0, and the application uses NSS for cryptographic random number generation.
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 data3.28.445.9.052.1.0
Update affected Mozilla products to patched versions (Thunderbird 52.1+, Firefox ESR 45.9+, Firefox ESR 52.1+, Firefox 53+) or update NSS library to version 3.28.4.
Fix this in Debian Linux
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing2.0 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 $1,664.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-5462 — 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-2017-5462 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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