Description
The Chrome Object Wrapper (COW) implementation in Mozilla Firefox before 21.0, Firefox ESR 17.x before 17.0.6, Thunderbird before 17.0.6, and Thunderbird ESR 17.x before 17.0.6 does not prevent acquisition of chrome privileges during calls to content level constructors, which allows remote attackers to bypass certain read-only restrictions and conduct cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks via a crafted web site.
Fixed in Linux distributions
Distributions backport fixes, so the version that fixes this vulnerability differs per release — upgrade to at least the version shown. From the distributions' security trackers and advisories.
Debian
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian 7 | icedove | 17.0.7-1~deb7u1 | DSA-2720-1 |
| Debian 7 | iceweasel | 17.0.6esr-1~deb7u1 | DSA-2699-1 |
Red Hat
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| RHEL 6 | firefox | 17.0.6-1.el6_4 | RHSA-2013:0820 |
| RHEL 6 | xulrunner +2 | 17.0.6-2.el6_4 | RHSA-2013:0821, RHSA-2013:0820 |
| RHEL 5 | firefox +2 | 17.0.6-1.el5_9 | RHSA-2013:0820 |
Show 1 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Rhel Productivity 5 | thunderbird | 17.0.6-1.el5_9 | RHSA-2013:0821 |
openSUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| openSUSE Tumbleweed | MozillaFirefox | 50.1.0-1.1 | openSUSE-SU-2024:10071-1 |
| openSUSE Tumbleweed | MozillaThunderbird | 45.5.1-1.1 | openSUSE-SU-2024:10230-1 |
| openSUSE Tumbleweed | firefox-esr | 128.5.1-1.1 | openSUSE-SU-2024:14572-1 |
Public exploits
Exploit or proof-of-concept code for this vulnerability is publicly available, which lowers the bar for attackers. Treat it as a reason to patch sooner.
Exploit-DB 1
- Mozilla Firefox - toString console.time Privileged JavaScript Injection (Metasploit) EDB-34363 · remote · Aug 19, 2014 · verified
Sources: PoC-in-GitHub, Metasploit Framework, Exploit-DB — updated daily. Only links are listed; no exploit code is hosted here.
Advisories 7
- RHSA-2013:0821 Red Hat Security Advisory: thunderbird security update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Jun 29, 2026
- RHSA-2013:0820 Red Hat Security Advisory: firefox security update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Jun 29, 2026
- DSA-2699-1 iceweasel - several Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
- DSA-2720-1 icedove - several Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
- openSUSE-SU-2024:10230-1 MozillaThunderbird-45.5.1-1.1 on GA media SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
- openSUSE-SU-2024:14572-1 firefox-esr-128.5.1-1.1 on GA media SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
- openSUSE-SU-2024:10071-1 MozillaFirefox-50.1.0-1.1 on GA media SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · May 7, 2025
References
- oval:org.mitre.oval:def:17046 vdb-entry signature
- DSA-2699 vendor-advisory
- MDVSA-2013:165 vendor-advisory
- https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=853709
- openSUSE-SU-2013:0825 vendor-advisory
- http://www.mozilla.org/security/announce/2013/mfsa2013-42.html
- USN-1823-1 vendor-advisory
- RHSA-2013:0821 vendor-advisory
- openSUSE-SU-2013:0929 vendor-advisory
- 93427 vdb-entry
- 34363 exploit
- openSUSE-SU-2013:0831 vendor-advisory
- 59865 vdb-entry
- RHSA-2013:0820 vendor-advisory
- openSUSE-SU-2013:0834 vendor-advisory
- openSUSE-SU-2013:0946 vendor-advisory
- USN-1822-1 vendor-advisory