How severe is CVE-2020-26972?

CVE-2020-26972 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-2020-26972 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (67th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2020-26972?

CVE-2020-26972 affects Mozilla Firefox. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.

How do I fix CVE-2020-26972?

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-2020-26972 published?

CVE-2020-26972 was published on 2021-01-07 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2020-26972

CVE-2020-26972 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-416.

Key facts

Severity: Critical (CVSS 3.x base score 9.8)
CVSS v2: 7.5
EPSS exploit prediction: 1% (67th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-416
Affected product: Mozilla Firefox
Published: 2021-01-07
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

The lifecycle of IPC Actors allows managed actors to outlive their manager actors; and the former must ensure that they are not attempting to use a dead actor they have a reference to. Such a check was omitted in WebGL, resulting in a use-after-free and a potentially exploitable crash. This vulnerability affects Firefox < 84.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2020-26972?: The lifecycle of IPC Actors allows managed actors to outlive their manager actors; and the former must ensure that they are not attempting to use a dead actor they have a reference to. Such a check was omitted in WebGL, resulting in a use-after-free and a potentially exploitable crash. This vulnerability affects Firefox < 84.
How severe is CVE-2020-26972?: CVE-2020-26972 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-2020-26972 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (67th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2020-26972?: CVE-2020-26972 affects Mozilla Firefox. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2020-26972?: 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-2020-26972 published?: CVE-2020-26972 was published on 2021-01-07 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (1)

cpe:2.3:a:mozilla:firefox:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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