CVE-2016-5284
CVE-2016-5284 is a high-severity vulnerability in Mozilla Firefox with a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.4. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-20.
Key facts
- Severity: High (CVSS 3.x base score 7.4)
- CVSS v2: 4.3
- EPSS exploit prediction: 2% (82nd percentile)
- Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
- Weakness: CWE-20
- Affected product: Mozilla Firefox
- Published:
- Last modified:
Description
Mozilla Firefox before 49.0, Firefox ESR 45.x before 45.4, and Thunderbird < 45.4 rely on unintended expiration dates for Preloaded Public Key Pinning, which allows man-in-the-middle attackers to spoof add-on updates by leveraging possession of an X.509 server certificate for addons.mozilla.org signed by an arbitrary built-in Certification Authority.
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2016-5284?
- Mozilla Firefox before 49.0, Firefox ESR 45.x before 45.4, and Thunderbird < 45.4 rely on unintended expiration dates for Preloaded Public Key Pinning, which allows man-in-the-middle attackers to spoof add-on updates by leveraging possession of an X.509 server certificate for addons.mozilla.org signed by an arbitrary built-in Certification Authority.
- How severe is CVE-2016-5284?
- CVE-2016-5284 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.4, rated high severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity none, and availability none.
- Is CVE-2016-5284 being actively exploited?
- It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (82nd percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
- What products are affected by CVE-2016-5284?
- CVE-2016-5284 primarily affects Mozilla Firefox. In total, 7 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
- How do I fix CVE-2016-5284?
- Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
- When was CVE-2016-5284 published?
- CVE-2016-5284 was published on 2016-09-22 and last updated on 2026-06-17.
References
- http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2016-1912.html
- http://seclists.org/dailydave/2016/q3/51
- http://www.debian.org/security/2016/dsa-3674
- http://www.mozilla.org/security/announce/2016/mfsa2016-85.html
- http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/topics/security/linuxbulletinoct2016-3090545.html
- http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/93049
- http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1036852
- https://blog.mozilla.org/security/2016/09/16/update-on-add-on-pinning-vulnerability/
- https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1303127
- https://hackernoon.com/tor-browser-exposed-anti-privacy-implantation-at-mass-scale-bd68e9eb1e95
- https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201701-15
- https://www.mozilla.org/security/advisories/mfsa2016-86/
- https://www.mozilla.org/security/advisories/mfsa2016-88/
Affected products (7)
- cpe:2.3:a:mozilla:firefox:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:mozilla:firefox:45.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:mozilla:firefox:45.0.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:mozilla:firefox:45.0.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:mozilla:firefox:45.1.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:mozilla:firefox:45.2.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:mozilla:firefox:45.3.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
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