FirefoxWeb browser · Mozilla
CVE-2020-26958
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 · uneditedFirefox did not block execution of scripts with incorrect MIME types when the response was intercepted and cached through a ServiceWorker. This could lead to a cross-site script inclusion vulnerability, or a Content Security Policy bypass. This vulnerability affects Firefox < 83, Firefox ESR < 78.5, and Thunderbird < 78.5.
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 fails to block script execution when responses with incorrect MIME types are intercepted and cached by a ServiceWorker. Normally, browsers prevent scripts with wrong MIME types from executing, but cached ServiceWorker responses bypass this check, enabling cross-site script inclusion (XSSI) attacks and CSP bypasses.
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
< 83.0
Firefox EsrWeb browser
< 78.5< 78.5CVSS 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
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- Low
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/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.
-
Check Firefox or Thunderbird versionGo to Menu > Help > About [Application Name] to display the installed version numberAffected if The displayed version is below 83.0 for Firefox, or below 78.5 for Firefox ESR or Thunderbird
-
Identify ServiceWorker usageIn Firefox, open Developer Tools (F12), go to the Application tab, and expand the Service Workers section in the left sidebar to see registered ServiceWorkersAffected if Any ServiceWorkers are registered and active in the browser
-
Inspect cached responses for MIME type issuesIn the same Application tab, expand the Cache Storage section to view cached responses. For each cached response, check the Response Headers for the Content-Type header valueAffected if Cached responses exist with non-script MIME types (such as text/plain, application/json, or text/html) that contain executable JavaScript content
A user is affected if they run a vulnerable Firefox or Thunderbird version AND have active ServiceWorkers that may cache responses with incorrect MIME types, allowing script execution that should be blocked.
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 data78.583.0
Update to Firefox 83+, Firefox ESR 78.5+, or Thunderbird 78.5+ to patch the MIME type validation flaw in ServiceWorker response handling.
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-2020-26958 — 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-2020-26958 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