CVE-2020-6799

CVE-2020-6799 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-88.

Key facts

Description

Command line arguments could have been injected during Firefox invocation as a shell handler for certain unsupported file types. This required Firefox to be configured as the default handler for a given file type and for a file downloaded to be opened in a third party application that insufficiently sanitized URL data. In that situation, clicking a link in the third party application could have been used to retrieve and execute files whose location was supplied through command line arguments. Note: This issue only affects Windows operating systems and when Firefox is configured as the default handler for non-default filetypes. Other operating systems are unaffected. This vulnerability affects Firefox < 73 and Firefox < ESR68.5.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2020-6799?
Command line arguments could have been injected during Firefox invocation as a shell handler for certain unsupported file types. This required Firefox to be configured as the default handler for a given file type and for a file downloaded to be opened in a third party application that insufficiently sanitized URL data. In that situation, clicking a link in the third party application could have been used to retrieve and execute files whose location was supplied through command line arguments. Note: This issue only affects Windows operating systems and when Firefox is configured as the default handler for non-default filetypes. Other operating systems are unaffected. This vulnerability affects Firefox < 73 and Firefox < ESR68.5.
How severe is CVE-2020-6799?
CVE-2020-6799 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-2020-6799 being actively exploited?
It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (71st percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2020-6799?
CVE-2020-6799 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-2020-6799?
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-2020-6799 published?
CVE-2020-6799 was published on 2020-03-02 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (2)

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