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CVE Record

CVE-2016-9074: An existing mitigation of timing side-channel attacks is insufficient in some circumstances.

An existing mitigation of timing side-channel attacks is insufficient in some circumstances. This issue is addressed in Network Security Services (NSS) 3.26.1. This vulnerability affects Thunderbird < 45.5, Firefox ESR < 45.5, and Firefox < 50.

UnknownCVSS not scoredNot KEV-listedUpdated
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Glexia's TakeAutomated analysisunknown

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

CVE-2016-9074 is a Mozilla/NSS timing side-channel issue where an existing protection was not always sufficient. The sources identify affected legacy Firefox, Firefox ESR, and Thunderbird versions. Treat this mainly as a legacy software exposure: modern, updated systems should already have the fix, but unmanaged old desktops or servers may still carry risk.

Executive priority

Prioritize as a cleanup item for legacy software governance, not an emergency response, unless old Mozilla or NSS builds remain in sensitive environments.

Technical view

The issue is in Network Security Services, where timing side-channel mitigation was insufficient in some circumstances. The bundle states it was addressed in NSS 3.26.1 and affected Thunderbird before 45.5, Firefox ESR before 45.5, and Firefox before 50. No CVSS, CWE, or detailed impact data is provided.

Likely exposure

Exposure is most likely on legacy Mozilla installations, old Linux distribution packages, or embedded builds using vulnerable NSS. Current managed browser fleets are unlikely exposed if updates are enforced.

Exploitation context

The source bundle does not cite active exploitation, public weaponization, or CISA KEV listing. The vulnerability class is timing side-channel leakage, but the provided evidence lacks practical exploitability details.

Researcher notes

Evidence is limited to advisory-level descriptions. The bundle confirms affected products and fixed NSS version, but does not provide CVSS, CWE, root-cause detail, proof of exploitation, or exploit maturity.

Mitigation direction

  • Upgrade NSS to 3.26.1 or later where separately packaged.
  • Upgrade Firefox to 50 or later.
  • Upgrade Firefox ESR and Thunderbird to 45.5 or later.
  • Apply Debian, Gentoo, or vendor package advisories for affected systems.
  • Check Mozilla guidance for environment-specific update requirements.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory Firefox, Firefox ESR, Thunderbird, and NSS versions across endpoints.
  • Confirm no installations remain below the affected version thresholds.
  • Review Linux package advisories for backported NSS fixes.
  • Check vulnerability scanner findings against actual package changelogs.
  • Verify legacy or embedded applications do not bundle old NSS.
Prepared
Confidence
medium
Sources
9

Public sources used

Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.

Potential ATT&CK relevance

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

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CVE-2016-9074 mapping review

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Vulnerability profileCVE Program record
Severity
Unknown
CVSS
Not scored
Known Exploited
No
Published
Official CVE source material

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.

0CVSS vectors
0Timeline events
0ADP providers
8Source links

CVSS and timeline data

No CVSS vectors or timeline events were available in the normalized CVE source material.

Source materials

Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
MozillaThunderbirdunspecifiedListed
MozillaFirefox ESRunspecifiedListed
MozillaFirefoxunspecifiedListed
Weakness

CWE details

No CWE listed

CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.