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FirefoxWeb browser · Mozilla

CVE-2020-15667

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-10-01
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 80.0 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
When processing a MAR update file, after the signature has been validated, an invalid name length could result in a heap overflow, leading to memory corruption and potentially arbitrary code execution. Within Firefox as released by Mozilla, this issue is only exploitable with the Mozilla-controlled signing key. This vulnerability affects Firefox < 80.

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

When Firefox processes MAR (Mozilla Archive) update files, after signature validation, an invalid name length field in the MAR file triggers a heap overflow, leading to memory corruption and potentially arbitrary code execution. In the released Firefox product, exploitation is limited to attacks using the Mozilla-controlled signing key.

MitigationUpgrade to Firefox 80 or later to receive the patched version. For systems that cannot upgrade immediately, consider disabling automatic updates or implementing additional network-level controls to ensure update integrity.

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:< 80.0

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:3.1/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check installed Firefox version
    Open Firefox, click menu > Help > About Firefox, or run 'firefox --version' from command line, or check the executable properties
    Affected if Version number is less than 80.0 (for example 79.0, 78.x, etc.)
  2. Confirm version source
    Verify the version shown is the actual deployed version in your environment, not a sandbox or test installation
    Affected if Multiple Firefox installations exist and the vulnerable version is actively used
  3. Identify update mechanism
    Check if Firefox automatic updates are enabled: go to Options > Updates > Check for updates but let me choose to install updates
    Affected if Automatic updates are enabled and the browser connects to Mozilla update servers (default configuration)

You are affected if Firefox version is below 80.0 and the browser processes MAR update files from Mozilla's update infrastructure.

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 80.0 or later
Fixed in 80.0
Interim mitigation

Upgrade to Firefox 80 or later to receive the patched version. For systems that cannot upgrade immediately, consider disabling automatic updates or implementing additional network-level controls to ensure update integrity.

Fix this in Firefox Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,560
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,096.

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-2020-15667 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