Analyst readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
Older Mozilla Firefox installations before version 1.0 on Mac OS X could be installed with permissions that let local users modify files they should not control. That creates a possible privilege-gain path on shared or legacy systems.
Executive priority
Treat this as a legacy hygiene issue unless affected shared Mac OS X systems still exist. Prioritize if old lab, kiosk, or multi-user endpoints remain in service.
Technical view
CVE-2004-2228 describes world-writable permissions in Mozilla Firefox before 1.0 on Mac OS X, allowing local users to gain privileges. The provided record has no CVSS, CWE, or detailed affected CPE metadata, so scope and severity should be verified against vendor or distribution advisories.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most plausible on obsolete Mac OS X systems still running Mozilla Firefox before 1.0, especially multi-user machines. The bundle does not support assuming exposure in current Firefox releases.
Exploitation context
The evidence describes a local privilege issue, not a remote compromise. KEV is false, and the provided sources do not state active exploitation. An attacker would already need local access.
Researcher notes
The source bundle is sparse: no CVSS, CWE, CPE, exploit details, or complete fix text are provided. The strongest grounded facts are product/version, Mac OS X context, world-writable install permissions, and local privilege impact.
Mitigation direction
- Remove or replace Firefox versions earlier than 1.0 on Mac OS X.
- Check Mozilla or distribution guidance for historically correct fixed versions.
- Restrict local user access on legacy shared systems until remediated.
- Correct any world-writable Firefox installation permissions found during review.
Validation and detection
- Inventory Mac OS X hosts for Mozilla Firefox versions earlier than 1.0.
- Inspect Firefox installation paths for world-writable permissions.
- Identify whether affected systems have untrusted local users.
- Confirm remediation against vendor or distribution advisory guidance.
Public sources used
Based on public source material and reviewed before publication.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CVE-2004-2228 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Unknown
- CVSS
- Not scored
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CVSS and timeline data
No CVSS vectors or timeline events were available in the normalized CVE source material.
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- 11592CVE reference · vdb-entry, x_refsource_OSVDB
- 13724CVE reference · third-party-advisory, x_refsource_SECUNIA
- 13144CVE reference · third-party-advisory, x_refsource_SECUNIA
- GLSA-200501-03CVE reference · vendor-advisory, x_refsource_GENTOO
- mozilla-firefox-gain-privileges(18017)CVE reference · vdb-entry, x_refsource_XF
- 11644CVE reference · vdb-entry, x_refsource_BID
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.