CVE-2008-5511
Description
Mozilla Firefox 3.x before 3.0.5 and 2.x before 2.0.0.19, Thunderbird 2.x before 2.0.0.19, and SeaMonkey 1.x before 1.1.14 allows remote attackers to bypass the same origin policy and conduct cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks via an XBL binding to an "unloaded document."
AI Insight
LLM-synthesized narrative grounded in this CVE's description and references.
An XBL binding to an unloaded document bypasses the same-origin policy, allowing cross-site scripting in Firefox 3.x < 3.0.5, 2.x < 2.0.0.19, Thunderbird 2.x < 2.0.0.19, and SeaMonkey < 1.1.14.
Vulnerability
Firefox 3.x before 3.0.5, Firefox 2.x before 2.0.0.19, Thunderbird 2.x before 2.0.0.19, and SeaMonkey 1.x before 1.1.14 fail to properly enforce the same-origin policy when an XBL binding is applied to an unloaded document. An attacker can craft a web page that, when loaded in a vulnerable browser, bypasses security checks and allows script execution in a different origin context [1][2][3][4].
Exploitation
To exploit this flaw, the attacker only needs to convince a user to visit a malicious web page (or, in Thunderbird, to load a crafted HTML email with JavaScript enabled). No special network position or authentication is required. The exploit leverages an XBL binding that references an unloaded document, causing the browser to evaluate the binding without proper origin checks [1][2][3][4].
Impact
Successful exploitation allows an attacker to bypass the same-origin policy and perform cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks. The attacker can read data from other domains, inject arbitrary scripts into pages from a different origin, and potentially access sensitive user information (e.g., cookies, session tokens) or perform actions on behalf of the victim [1][2][3][4].
Mitigation
Vendor updates are available: Firefox 3.0.5, Firefox 2.0.0.19, Thunderbird 2.0.0.19, and SeaMonkey 1.1.14 fix this issue. Ubuntu released updated packages in USN-690-2 (for Firefox) [1] and USN-701-1 / USN-701-2 (for Thunderbird) [2][3]. Red Hat also provided errata RHSA-2008-1036 [4]. Users should upgrade to the patched versions immediately. Disabling JavaScript in Thunderbird reduces the attack surface but is not a complete workaround.
AI Insight generated on May 24, 2026. Synthesized from this CVE's description and the cited reference URLs; citations are validated against the source bundle.
Affected products
12cpe:2.3:a:mozilla:firefox:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*+ 1 more
- cpe:2.3:a:mozilla:firefox:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*range: >=2.0,<2.0.0.19
- (no CPE)range: >= 3.0 < 3.0.5
cpe:2.3:a:mozilla:thunderbird:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*+ 1 more
- cpe:2.3:a:mozilla:thunderbird:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*range: >=2.0,<2.0.0.19
- (no CPE)range: >= 2.0 < 2.0.0.19
cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:6.06:*:*:*:lts:*:*:*+ 3 more
- cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:6.06:*:*:*:lts:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:7.10:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:8.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:8.10:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:4.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*+ 1 more
- cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:4.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:5.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
Patches
0No patches discovered yet.
Vulnerability mechanics
AI mechanics synthesis has not run for this CVE yet.
References
43- secunia.com/advisories/33184nvdThird Party Advisory
- secunia.com/advisories/33188nvdThird Party Advisory
- secunia.com/advisories/33189nvdThird Party Advisory
- secunia.com/advisories/33203nvdThird Party Advisory
- secunia.com/advisories/33204nvdThird Party Advisory
- secunia.com/advisories/33205nvdThird Party Advisory
- secunia.com/advisories/33216nvdThird Party Advisory
- secunia.com/advisories/33231nvdThird Party Advisory
- secunia.com/advisories/33232nvdThird Party Advisory
- secunia.com/advisories/33408nvdThird Party Advisory
- secunia.com/advisories/33415nvdThird Party Advisory
- secunia.com/advisories/33421nvdThird Party Advisory
- secunia.com/advisories/33433nvdThird Party Advisory
- secunia.com/advisories/33434nvdThird Party Advisory
- secunia.com/advisories/33523nvdThird Party Advisory
- secunia.com/advisories/33547nvdThird Party Advisory
- secunia.com/advisories/34501nvdThird Party Advisory
- secunia.com/advisories/35080nvdThird Party Advisory
- www.debian.org/security/2009/dsa-1696nvdThird Party Advisory
- www.debian.org/security/2009/dsa-1697nvdThird Party Advisory
- www.debian.org/security/2009/dsa-1704nvdThird Party Advisory
- www.debian.org/security/2009/dsa-1707nvdThird Party Advisory
- www.mandriva.com/security/advisoriesnvdThird Party Advisory
- www.mandriva.com/security/advisoriesnvdThird Party Advisory
- www.mandriva.com/security/advisoriesnvdThird Party Advisory
- www.mozilla.org/security/announce/2008/mfsa2008-68.htmlnvdVendor Advisory
- www.redhat.com/support/errata/RHSA-2008-1036.htmlnvdThird Party Advisory
- www.redhat.com/support/errata/RHSA-2008-1037.htmlnvdThird Party Advisory
- www.redhat.com/support/errata/RHSA-2009-0002.htmlnvdThird Party Advisory
- www.securityfocus.com/bid/32882nvdThird Party AdvisoryVDB Entry
- www.securitytracker.com/idnvdThird Party AdvisoryVDB Entry
- www.ubuntu.com/usn/usn-690-2nvdThird Party Advisory
- www.ubuntu.com/usn/usn-701-1nvdThird Party Advisory
- www.ubuntu.com/usn/usn-701-2nvdThird Party Advisory
- www.vupen.com/english/advisories/2009/0977nvdThird Party Advisory
- bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cginvdIssue TrackingVendor Advisory
- bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cginvdIssue TrackingVendor Advisory
- exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/47417nvdThird Party AdvisoryVDB Entry
- oval.cisecurity.org/repository/search/definition/oval%3Aorg.mitre.oval%3Adef%3A11881nvdThird Party Advisory
- usn.ubuntu.com/690-1/nvdThird Party Advisory
- usn.ubuntu.com/690-3/nvdThird Party Advisory
- sunsolve.sun.com/search/document.donvdBroken Link
- sunsolve.sun.com/search/document.donvdBroken Link
News mentions
0No linked articles in our index yet.