How severe is CVE-2020-15659?

CVE-2020-15659 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 8.8, rated high severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2020-15659 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-2020-15659?

CVE-2020-15659 primarily affects Mozilla Firefox. In total, 8 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2020-15659?

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-2020-15659 published?

CVE-2020-15659 was published on 2020-08-10 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2020-15659

CVE-2020-15659 is a high-severity vulnerability in Mozilla Firefox with a CVSS 3.x base score of 8.8. 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-787.

Key facts

Severity: High (CVSS 3.x base score 8.8)
CVSS v2: 9.3
EPSS exploit prediction: 2% (82nd percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-787
Affected product: Mozilla Firefox
Published: 2020-08-10
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

Mozilla developers and community members reported memory safety bugs present in Firefox 78 and Firefox ESR 78.0. Some of these bugs showed evidence of memory corruption and we presume that with enough effort some of these could have been exploited to run arbitrary code. This vulnerability affects Firefox < 79, Firefox ESR < 68.11, Firefox ESR < 78.1, Thunderbird < 68.11, and Thunderbird < 78.1.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2020-15659?: Mozilla developers and community members reported memory safety bugs present in Firefox 78 and Firefox ESR 78.0. Some of these bugs showed evidence of memory corruption and we presume that with enough effort some of these could have been exploited to run arbitrary code. This vulnerability affects Firefox < 79, Firefox ESR < 68.11, Firefox ESR < 78.1, Thunderbird < 68.11, and Thunderbird < 78.1.
How severe is CVE-2020-15659?: CVE-2020-15659 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 8.8, rated high severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2020-15659 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-2020-15659?: CVE-2020-15659 primarily affects Mozilla Firefox. In total, 8 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2020-15659?: 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-2020-15659 published?: CVE-2020-15659 was published on 2020-08-10 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (8)

cpe:2.3:a:mozilla:firefox:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mozilla:firefox_esr:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mozilla:thunderbird:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:opensuse:leap:15.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:opensuse:leap:15.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:16.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:18.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:20.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:*

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