CVE-2019-9794

CVE-2019-9794 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Mozilla Firefox with a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8. 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-88.

Key facts

Description

A vulnerability was discovered where specific command line arguments are not properly discarded during Firefox invocation as a shell handler for URLs. This could be used to retrieve and execute files whose location is supplied through these command line arguments if Firefox is configured as the default URI handler for a given URI scheme in third party applications and these applications insufficiently sanitize URL data. *Note: This issue only affects Windows operating systems. Other operating systems are unaffected.*. This vulnerability affects Thunderbird < 60.6, Firefox ESR < 60.6, and Firefox < 66.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2019-9794?
A vulnerability was discovered where specific command line arguments are not properly discarded during Firefox invocation as a shell handler for URLs. This could be used to retrieve and execute files whose location is supplied through these command line arguments if Firefox is configured as the default URI handler for a given URI scheme in third party applications and these applications insufficiently sanitize URL data. *Note: This issue only affects Windows operating systems. Other operating systems are unaffected.*. This vulnerability affects Thunderbird < 60.6, Firefox ESR < 60.6, and Firefox < 66.
How severe is CVE-2019-9794?
CVE-2019-9794 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2019-9794 being actively exploited?
It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (76th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2019-9794?
CVE-2019-9794 primarily affects Mozilla Firefox. In total, 2 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2019-9794?
Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its critical severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2019-9794 published?
CVE-2019-9794 was published on 2019-04-26 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (2)

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