Security Experts:

Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

SecurityWeekSecurityWeek

Mobile & Wireless

Firefox Flaw Allowed Hackers to Remotely Open Malicious Sites on Android Phones

A vulnerability identified in Firefox for Android could have been exploited to remotely open arbitrary websites on a targeted user’s phone without the need to click on links, install malicious applications, or conduct man-in-the-middle (MitM) attacks.

A vulnerability identified in Firefox for Android could have been exploited to remotely open arbitrary websites on a targeted user’s phone without the need to click on links, install malicious applications, or conduct man-in-the-middle (MitM) attacks.

The flaw was discovered by researcher Chris Moberly in version 68 of Firefox for Android. It was reported to Mozilla, which confirmed that the new Firefox Fenix (starting with version 79) is not impacted — the Firefox for Android version jumped from 68 to 79 due to Fenix replacing the Fennec version.

According to Moberly, the vulnerability is related to Firefox periodically sending out SSDP discovery messages in search of second-screen devices that it can cast to. These messages can be seen by any device that is connected to the same local area network (LAN).

An attacker connected to the same Wi-Fi network as the targeted user can deploy a malicious SSDP server that is set up to respond with specially crafted messages that cause Firefox to open an arbitrary website.

This is possible because the messages broadcasted by Firefox are looking for an XML file describing a Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) device that it can cast to, but the attacker’s server instead responds with a message pointing to an Android intent URI that is invoked by Firefox.

“The vulnerability resembles RCE (remote command execution) in that a remote (on same WiFi network) attacker can trigger the device to perform unauthorized functions with zero interaction from the end user. However, that execution is not totally arbitrary in that it can only call predefined application intents,” Moberly explained.

He added, “Had it been used in the wild, it could have targeted known-vulnerable intents in other applications. Or, it could have been used in a way similar to phishing attacks where a malicious site is forced onto the target without their knowledge in the hopes they would enter some sensitive info or agree to install a malicious application. The exploit POC can direct-link to a .xpi file, prompting for immediate installation of a malicious extension to compromise the browser itself.”

Moberly has released technical details and a proof-of-concept (PoC) exploit. ESET researcher Lukas Stefanko has confirmed that the exploit works and he has posted a video showing how an attacker can open arbitrary websites on three phones at the same time.

Related: Mozilla Patches Two Firefox Vulnerabilities Exploited in Attacks

Related: Details Released for Recently Patched Code Execution Vulnerability in Firefox

Related: Cisco Discloses Details of Chrome, Firefox Vulnerabilities

Related: Vulnerability Patched in Firefox Password Manager

Written By

Eduard Kovacs (@EduardKovacs) is a contributing editor at SecurityWeek. He worked as a high school IT teacher for two years before starting a career in journalism as Softpedia’s security news reporter. Eduard holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial informatics and a master’s degree in computer techniques applied in electrical engineering.

Click to comment

Daily Briefing Newsletter

Subscribe to the SecurityWeek Email Briefing to stay informed on the latest threats, trends, and technology, along with insightful columns from industry experts.

Join this webinar to learn best practices that organizations can use to improve both their resilience to new threats and their response times to incidents.

Register

Join this live webinar as we explore the potential security threats that can arise when third parties are granted access to a sensitive data or systems.

Register

Expert Insights

Related Content

Vulnerabilities

Less than a week after announcing that it would suspended service indefinitely due to a conflict with an (at the time) unnamed security researcher...

Risk Management

The supply chain threat is directly linked to attack surface management, but the supply chain must be known and understood before it can be...

Vulnerabilities

Apple has released updates for macOS, iOS and Safari and they all include a WebKit patch for a zero-day vulnerability tracked as CVE-2023-23529.

Application Security

Drupal released updates that resolve four vulnerabilities in Drupal core and three plugins.

Cloud Security

VMware vRealize Log Insight vulnerability allows an unauthenticated attacker to take full control of a target system.

IoT Security

Lexmark warns of a remote code execution (RCE) vulnerability impacting over 120 printer models, for which PoC code has been published.

Application Security

A CSRF vulnerability in the source control management (SCM) service Kudu could be exploited to achieve remote code execution in multiple Azure services.

Vulnerabilities

GoAnywhere MFT users warned about a zero-day remote code injection exploit that can be targeted directly from the internet