Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2013-1054 is a denial-of-service flaw in Canonical's unity-firefox-extension. A specially crafted web interaction could crash Firefox by destroying the Unity webapps context. It affects availability only, requires user interaction, and the provided sources do not show active exploitation.
Executive priority
Treat this as a moderate legacy desktop risk. It can disrupt users by crashing Firefox, but the known impact is availability only and requires user interaction. Focus on confirming old Ubuntu systems are patched or retired.
Technical view
The issue is a CWE-404 resource-management flaw in unity-firefox-extension 3.0.0. Spinning the event loop inside the webapps initialization callback could destroy the Unity webapps context and crash Firefox. Ubuntu fixed it by shipping an empty package that disables the extension.
Likely exposure
Exposure is likely limited to older Ubuntu environments with Canonical unity-firefox-extension 3.0.0 installed and active in Firefox. Modern systems are unlikely to be exposed if the fixed Ubuntu package was applied.
Exploitation context
The CVSS vector indicates network reachability, low attack complexity, no privileges required, and user interaction required. KEV is false, and the provided sources do not cite known active exploitation.
Researcher notes
The core condition is lifecycle/resource handling around the webapps initialization callback. Evidence supports Firefox crash impact, not code execution or data compromise. Do not infer broader browser or Ubuntu exposure beyond unity-firefox-extension 3.0.0 from the supplied sources.
Mitigation direction
- Apply Ubuntu's fixed unity-firefox-extension package version 3.0.0+14.04.20140416-0ubuntu1.14.04.1 or later.
- Confirm the extension is disabled after applying the vendor package.
- Prioritize legacy Ubuntu desktop images and long-lived workstations for review.
- Check Canonical and Ubuntu guidance before using any workaround not named in the sources.
Validation and detection
- Inventory systems for installed unity-firefox-extension packages and versions.
- Confirm Firefox no longer loads an active Unity webapps extension.
- Review Ubuntu patch status for USN-2743-3 coverage on affected hosts.
- Check helpdesk or crash telemetry for recurring Firefox crashes on legacy Ubuntu desktops.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
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.
CWE-404: Exact CWE lookup
Use the exact CWE identifier as the starting point before reviewing related ATT&CK behavior. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2013-1054 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
- Medium
- CVSS
- 4.3 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L
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 vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L2.81.4Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
4.3MediumVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://launchpad.net/bugs/1175661CVE reference · vendor-advisory, x_refsource_UBUNTU
- https://ubuntu.com/USN-2743-3CVE reference · vendor-advisory, x_refsource_UBUNTU
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.
Improper Resource Shutdown or Release
Improper Resource Shutdown or Release represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.