FirefoxWeb browser · Mozilla
CVE-2019-17019
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 · uneditedWhen Python was installed on Windows, a python file being served with the MIME type of text/plain could be executed by Python instead of being opened as a text file when the Open option was selected upon download. *Note: this issue only occurs on Windows. Other operating systems are unaffected.*. This vulnerability affects Firefox < 72.
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 on Windows contains a MIME type handling vulnerability where Python files served with text/plain MIME type are executed by Python when the user selects 'Open' during download, instead of being displayed as text. This allows arbitrary code execution via crafted file downloads.
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
< 72.0CVSS 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
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/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.
-
Confirm Windows operating systemRun 'systeminfo' or check system properties to verify the OS is Windows. This vulnerability only affects Firefox on Windows.Affected if The system is running Windows (vulnerability does not apply to other OSes)
-
Check if Firefox is installedLook for Firefox in the application directory (typically C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\ or C:\Program Files (x86)\Mozilla Firefox\) or check Add/Remove Programs.Affected if Firefox is not installed on the system
-
Obtain installed Firefox versionRun 'firefox --version' from command line, or open Firefox and navigate to Help > About Firefox, or check the version property of firefox.exe in the installation directory.Affected if Firefox version cannot be determined (not installed or not accessible)
-
Compare version against affected rangeCheck if the installed version is less than 72.0. Firefox versions prior to 72.0 on Windows are vulnerable.Affected if Firefox version is 71.x or earlier on Windows - this indicates the environment is affected by CVE-2019-17019
A Windows system with Firefox version 71.x or earlier installed is affected; the vulnerability does not apply to Firefox 72.0 or later or to non-Windows systems.
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 data72.0
Upgrade Firefox to version 72 or later on all Windows systems. As a temporary measure, avoid using the 'Open' option when downloading files from untrusted sources.
Fix this in Firefox
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation1.0 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-2019-17019 — 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-2019-17019 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