Vulnerabilities
Misconfiguration
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CVE Vulnerabilities

CVE-2008-5021

Concurrent Execution using Shared Resource with Improper Synchronization ('Race Condition')

Published: Nov 13, 2008 | Modified: Apr 09, 2025
CVSS 3.x
N/A
Source:
NVD
CVSS 2.x
9.3 HIGH
AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C
RedHat/V2
RedHat/V3
Ubuntu
MEDIUM
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Additional information
NVDhttps://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2008-5021
CWEhttps://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/362.html

nsFrameManager in Firefox 3.x before 3.0.4, Firefox 2.x before 2.0.0.18, Thunderbird 2.x before 2.0.0.18, and SeaMonkey 1.x before 1.1.13 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) and possibly execute arbitrary code by modifying properties of a file input element while it is still being initialized, then using the blur method to access uninitialized memory.

Weakness

The product contains a concurrent code sequence that requires temporary, exclusive access to a shared resource, but a timing window exists in which the shared resource can be modified by another code sequence operating concurrently.

Affected Software

NameVendorStart VersionEnd Version
FirefoxMozilla2.0 (including)2.0.0.18 (excluding)
FirefoxMozilla3.0 (including)3.0.4 (excluding)
SeamonkeyMozilla1.0 (including)1.1.13 (excluding)
ThunderbirdMozilla2.0 (including)2.0.0.18 (excluding)
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 2.1RedHatseamonkey-0:1.0.9-0.21.el2*
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3RedHatseamonkey-0:1.0.9-0.25.el3*
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4RedHatthunderbird-0:1.5.0.12-17.el4*
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4RedHatseamonkey-0:1.0.9-28.el4*
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4RedHatfirefox-0:3.0.4-1.el4*
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4RedHatnss-0:3.12.1.1-3.el4*
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5RedHatthunderbird-0:2.0.0.18-1.el5*
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5RedHatdevhelp-0:0.12-20.el5*
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5RedHatfirefox-0:3.0.4-1.el5*
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5RedHatnss-0:3.12.1.1-3.el5*
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5RedHatxulrunner-0:1.9.0.4-1.el5*
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5RedHatyelp-0:2.16.0-22.el5*
FirefoxUbuntudapper*
FirefoxUbuntugutsy*
FirefoxUbuntuhardy*
FirefoxUbuntuupstream*
Firefox-3.0Ubuntudevel*
Firefox-3.0Ubuntugutsy*
Firefox-3.0Ubuntuhardy*
Firefox-3.0Ubuntuintrepid*
IceapeUbuntugutsy*
IceapeUbuntuupstream*
Mozilla-thunderbirdUbuntudapper*
SeamonkeyUbuntudevel*
SeamonkeyUbuntuhardy*
SeamonkeyUbuntuintrepid*
SeamonkeyUbuntuupstream*
ThunderbirdUbuntudevel*
ThunderbirdUbuntugutsy*
ThunderbirdUbuntuhardy*
ThunderbirdUbuntuintrepid*
ThunderbirdUbuntuupstream*
XulrunnerUbuntudevel*
XulrunnerUbuntugutsy*
XulrunnerUbuntuhardy*
XulrunnerUbuntuintrepid*
Xulrunner-1.9Ubuntudevel*
Xulrunner-1.9Ubuntugutsy*
Xulrunner-1.9Ubuntuhardy*
Xulrunner-1.9Ubuntuintrepid*
Xulrunner-1.9Ubuntuupstream*

Extended Description

A race condition occurs within concurrent environments, and it is effectively a property of a code sequence. Depending on the context, a code sequence may be in the form of a function call, a small number of instructions, a series of program invocations, etc. A race condition violates these properties, which are closely related:

A race condition exists when an “interfering code sequence” can still access the shared resource, violating exclusivity. The interfering code sequence could be “trusted” or “untrusted.” A trusted interfering code sequence occurs within the product; it cannot be modified by the attacker, and it can only be invoked indirectly. An untrusted interfering code sequence can be authored directly by the attacker, and typically it is external to the vulnerable product.

Potential Mitigations

  • Minimize the usage of shared resources in order to remove as much complexity as possible from the control flow and to reduce the likelihood of unexpected conditions occurring.
  • Additionally, this will minimize the amount of synchronization necessary and may even help to reduce the likelihood of a denial of service where an attacker may be able to repeatedly trigger a critical section (CWE-400).

References

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