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Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following')

CVE-2023-29542

High
9.8/10

Summary

A newline in a filename could have been used to bypass the file extension security mechanisms that replace malicious file extensions such as ".lnk" with ".download". This could have led to accidental execution of malicious code. This vulnerability only affects Firefox and Thunderbird on Windows. It affects Firefox prior to 112, Firefox ESR prior to 102.10, and Thunderbird prior to 102.10.

  • LOW
  • NETWORK
  • HIGH
  • UNCHANGED
  • NONE
  • NONE
  • HIGH
  • HIGH

CWE-59 - Improper Link Resolution Before File Access

'Improper link resolution before file access' occurs when software accesses a file resource but fails to verify that the file isn't a link or shortcut to another file. An attacker can potentially gain access to arbitrary files and from there the impact can vary, depending on the application, from sensitive data exposure to remote code execution.

References

Advisory Timeline

  • Published