CVE-2020-6797 : Vulnerability Insights and Analysis

A vulnerability in Thunderbird and Firefox allows a semi-privileged extension to launch arbitrary applications on Mac OSX systems.

Understanding CVE-2020-6797

This CVE affects Thunderbird and Firefox versions, enabling attackers to execute applications.

What is CVE-2020-6797?

By downloading a file with the .fileloc extension, attackers can launch arbitrary applications on Mac OSX.

The Impact of CVE-2020-6797

Limited impact as attackers cannot download non-quarantined files or supply command line arguments.
Only affects Mac OSX; other operating systems are not vulnerable.

Technical Details of CVE-2020-6797

This section provides detailed technical information about the vulnerability.

Vulnerability Description

Semi-privileged extensions can execute arbitrary applications on Mac OSX.

Affected Systems and Versions

Thunderbird < 68.5
Firefox < 73
Firefox < ESR68.5

Exploitation Mechanism

Attackers download files with .fileloc extension to trigger application execution.

Mitigation and Prevention

Protect systems from CVE-2020-6797 with these security measures.

Immediate Steps to Take

Update Thunderbird and Firefox to versions above the specified vulnerable ones.
Avoid downloading files with the .fileloc extension.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly update software to patch vulnerabilities.
Be cautious of file downloads and extensions.

Patching and Updates

Apply security patches provided by Mozilla to fix the vulnerability.