#VU52375 Cleartext storage of sensitive information in Mozilla Thunderbird - CVE-2021-29950

Vulnerability identifier: #VU52375

Vulnerability risk: Low

CVSSv4.0: 4.3 [CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:U/U:Clear]

CVE-ID: CVE-2021-29950

CWE-ID: CWE-312

Exploitation vector: Local

Exploit availability: No

Vulnerable software:
Mozilla Thunderbird
Client/Desktop applications / Messaging software

Vendor: Mozilla

Description

The vulnerability allows a local user to gain access to sensitive information.

The vulnerability exists due to the way Thunderbird handles secret OpenPGP keys. The application unprotects a secret OpenPGP key prior to using it for a decryption, signing or key import task. If the task runs into a failure, the secret key may remain in memory in its unprotected state. A local user or malicious application can read the key and use it to decrypt email messages.

Mitigation
Install updates from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

Mozilla Thunderbird: 60.0 - 68.12.1, 78.0 - 78.9.0

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External links
https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/security/advisories/mfsa2021-17/

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Q & A

Can this vulnerability be exploited remotely?

No. This vulnerability can be exploited locally. The attacker should have authentication credentials and successfully authenticate on the system.

Is there known malware, which exploits this vulnerability?

No. We are not aware of malware exploiting this vulnerability.