The Mozilla Windows updater modifies some files to be updated by reading the original file and applying changes to it. The location of the original file can be altered by a malicious user by passing a special path to the callback parameter through the Mozilla Maintenance Service, allowing the manipulation of files in the installation directory and privilege escalation by manipulating the Mozilla Maintenance Service, which has privileged access. Note: This attack requires local system access and only affects Windows. Other operating systems are not affected. This vulnerability affects Firefox ESR < 52.2 and Firefox < 54.
Weaknesses in this category are related to improper handling of communication channels and access paths. These weaknesses include problems in creating, managing, or removing alternate channels and alternate paths. Some of these can overlap virtual file problems and are commonly used in "bypass" attacks, such as those that exploit authentication errors.
| Link | Tags |
|---|---|
| http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/99057 | vdb entry third party advisory |
| https://www.mozilla.org/security/advisories/mfsa2017-15/ | vendor advisory |
| http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1038689 | vdb entry third party advisory |
| https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1348645 | issue tracking patch vendor advisory exploit |
| https://www.mozilla.org/security/advisories/mfsa2017-16/ | vendor advisory |