dbcve.org
FirefoxWeb browser · Mozilla

CVE-2022-36314

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-12-22
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 102.1 / 103.0 or later.
See remediation →
58/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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 opening a Windows shortcut from the local filesystem, an attacker could supply a remote path that would lead to unexpected network requests from the operating system.<br>This bug only affects Firefox for Windows. Other operating systems are unaffected.*. This vulnerability affects Firefox ESR < 102.1, Firefox < 103, and Thunderbird < 102.1.

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

This is a Windows-specific vulnerability in Firefox and Thunderbird where opening a malicious Windows shortcut (.lnk file) from the local filesystem can trigger the operating system to make unexpected network requests to attacker-controlled remote paths. This could leak information (such as NTLM credentials) or create unexpected outbound connections.

MitigationUpdate affected applications to patched versions: Firefox >= 103, Firefox ESR >= 102.1, and Thunderbird >= 102.1.

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:< 103.0
Firefox EsrWeb browser
Affected:< 102.1
ThunderbirdApplication
Affected:< 102.1

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
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
High
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/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 checks

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

  1. Verify Windows operating system
    Check if the system is running Windows (this vulnerability is Windows-specific)
    Affected if System is NOT Windows - the vulnerability only affects Windows environments
  2. Check Mozilla Firefox version
    Open Firefox and navigate to Help > About Firefox, or type about:Firefox in the address bar, or check the version via the application's properties in Program Files
    Affected if Firefox version is less than 103.0 on Windows
  3. Check Mozilla Firefox ESR version
    Open Firefox ESR and navigate to Help > About Firefox ESR, or check the version via the application's properties in Program Files
    Affected if Firefox ESR version is less than 102.1 on Windows
  4. Check Mozilla Thunderbird version
    Open Thunderbird and navigate to Help > About Thunderbird, or check the version via the application's properties in Program Files
    Affected if Thunderbird version is less than 102.1 on Windows

A user is affected if running Windows with any vulnerable version of Firefox (< 103.0), Firefox ESR (< 102.1), or Thunderbird (< 102.1) installed, and they open a malicious .lnk file from the local filesystem.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 102.1 / 103.0 or later
Fixed in 102.1103.0
Interim mitigation

Update affected applications to patched versions: Firefox >= 103, Firefox ESR >= 102.1, and Thunderbird >= 102.1.

Recommended fix High confidence

Firefox 103.0, Firefox ESR 102.1, or Thunderbird 102.1

  1. Back up Firefox/Thunderbird data (bookmarks, passwords, add-ons) by going to Help > Troubleshooting Profile > About Profile or manually copying the profile folder
  2. Open Firefox/Thunderbird and navigate to Help > About Firefox (or About Thunderbird) to check the current version
  3. If an update is available, click 'Update to latest version' and restart the application
  4. If automatic update does not trigger, download Firefox 103.0 (or Firefox ESR 102.1) or Thunderbird 102.1 directly from https://www.mozilla.org/
  5. Run the installer and restart the browser/mail client after installation
  6. Verify the fix by checking Help > About Firefox (or Thunderbird) shows version 103.0 or higher (ESR 102.1 or higher)
Caveat Standard minor version upgrade with no expected breaking changes; user settings and data are preserved

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Firefox Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
3.0 hours of engineering $750
Get the upgrade done

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 locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-36314 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2022-36314 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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.

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