dbcve.org
FirefoxWeb browser · Mozilla

CVE-2022-45412

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-12-22
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 102.5 / 107.0 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 resolving a symlink such as <code>file:///proc/self/fd/1</code>, an error message may be produced where the symlink was resolved to a string containing unitialized memory in the buffer. <br>*This bug only affects Thunderbird on Unix-based operated systems (Android, Linux, MacOS). Windows is unaffected.*. This vulnerability affects Firefox ESR < 102.5, Thunderbird < 102.5, and Firefox < 107.

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

A memory disclosure vulnerability in Firefox and Thunderbird on Unix-based systems allows uninitialized buffer memory to be exposed in error messages when resolving certain symlinks like file:///proc/self/fd/1. The symlink resolution process fails to properly initialize the buffer, causing sensitive memory contents to be leaked in the resulting error string.

MitigationUpdate affected installations to Firefox ESR 102.5+, Thunderbird 102.5+, or Firefox 107+ to patch the uninitialized memory disclosure in symlink resolution.

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:< 107.0
Firefox EsrWeb browser
Affected:< 102.5
ThunderbirdApplication
Affected:< 102.5

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. Identify the installed Mozilla product
    Run 'firefox --version' for Firefox or 'thunderbird --version' for Thunderbird from command line, or check Help > About in the application menu
    Affected if Version is below 107.0 for Firefox, below 102.5 for Firefox ESR, or below 102.5 for Thunderbird
  2. Confirm the operating system is Unix-based
    Run 'uname -s' or check system information. The vulnerability only affects Unix-like systems (Linux, macOS, BSD)
    Affected if Running Windows (not affected) versus Unix/Linux/macOS (potentially affected)
  3. Verify the application handles file:// URLs with symlinks
    The flaw triggers when Firefox or Thunderbird attempts to resolve symlinks such as file:///proc/self/fd/1 via the address bar or when processing local file links
    Affected if The application processes or attempts to resolve symlinks in file:// URLs, particularly /proc/self/fd/* paths on Linux or equivalent proc/fd paths on macOS

User is affected if running Firefox below 107.0 (or ESR below 102.5) or Thunderbird below 102.5 on a Unix-based system and the application handles file:// URLs containing symlinks.

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 102.5 / 107.0 or later
Fixed in 102.5107.0
Interim mitigation

Update affected installations to Firefox ESR 102.5+, Thunderbird 102.5+, or Firefox 107+ to patch the uninitialized memory disclosure in symlink resolution.

Recommended fix High confidence

Firefox 107.0+, Firefox ESR 102.5+, or Thunderbird 102.5+ (depending on product)

  1. 1. Identify the installed Mozilla product (Firefox, Firefox ESR, or Thunderbird) and its current version
  2. 2. For Firefox users: Upgrade to version 107.0 or later
  3. 3. For Firefox ESR users: Upgrade to version 102.5 or later
  4. 4. For Thunderbird users: Upgrade to version 102.5 or later
  5. 5. Verify the upgrade was successful by checking Help > About [Product Name]
  6. 6. Restart the application after upgrading
  7. Note: This vulnerability only affects Unix-based systems (Linux, macOS, Android). Windows users are unaffected.
Caveat Point release upgrades typically do not introduce breaking changes; however, ensure compatibility with any locally-installed extensions or add-ons

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

Fix this in Firefox Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
5.0 hours of engineering $910
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,456.

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-2022-45412 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