Description
A maliciously constructed mail header could lead to multiple fields being parsed as one, or potential memory safety violations. This vulnerability was fixed in Thunderbird 156, Thunderbird 140.16, and Thunderbird 153.3.
Published: 2026-09-15
Score: 6.1 Medium
EPSS: < 1% Very Low
KEV: No
Impact: Potential memory safety violation and header misinterpretation
Action: Patch
AI Analysis

Impact

The vulnerability involves ambiguous parsing of mail headers, which can cause multiple header fields to be interpreted as a single entry or trigger memory safety violations. This flaw may allow an attacker to corrupt the parsing logic, leading to incorrect handling of message headers and potentially enabling further exploitation such as data corruption, bypass of integrity checks, or exploitation of downstream components that rely on accurate header information. Mozilla Thunderbird is affected. Versions up to 156, 140.16, and 153.3 are impacted; the stated fixes are in Thunderbird 156, 140.16, and 153.3, so any earlier releases without those patches are vulnerable. The exploit probability is very low (<1% EPSS) and the vulnerability is not listed in CISA KEV, indicating a low immediate threat. Based on the description, it is inferred that the likely attack vector is delivery of a specially crafted email to a target system. An attacker might gain indirect influence over the application by manipulating header values or cause memory corruption that could lead to further compromise.

Affected Systems

Mozilla Thunderbird is affected. Versions up to 156, 140.16, and 153.3 are impacted; the stated fixes are in Thunderbird 156, 140.16, and 153.3, so any earlier releases without those patches are vulnerable.

Risk and Exploitability

The exploit probability is very low (<1% EPSS) and the vulnerability is not listed in CISA KEV, indicating a low immediate is delivery of a specially crafted email to a target system, after which ambiguous header parsing could be triggered. An attacker might gain indirect influence over the application by manipulating header values or cause memory corruption that could lead to further compromise. Monitoring for anomalous email headers and enforcing strict parsing limits are recommended until a patch is applied.

Generated by OpenCVE AI on September 17, 2026 at 06:05 UTC.

Remediation

No vendor fix or workaround currently provided.

OpenCVE Recommended Actions

  • Upgrade Thunderbird to version 156, 140.16, or 153.3 or later.
  • If an upgrade is not yet feasible, disable automatic processing of external mail or block mail from untrusted parties until a patch is applied.
  • Implement a temporary header sanitization routine that rejects malformed or duplicate header fields before they are parsed.

Generated by OpenCVE AI on September 17, 2026 at 06:05 UTC.

Tracking

Sign in to view the affected projects.

Advisories
Source ID Title
Debian DLA Debian DLA DLA-4782-1 thunderbird security update
Debian DSA Debian DSA DSA-6503-1 thunderbird security update
History

Thu, 17 Sep 2026 12:15:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Weaknesses CWE-843
References
Metrics threat_severity

None

cvssV3_1

{'score': 6.1, 'vector': 'CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N'}

threat_severity

Moderate


Thu, 17 Sep 2026 06:30:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Weaknesses CWE-119
CWE-200

Thu, 17 Sep 2026 02:15:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
First Time appeared Mozilla
Mozilla thunderbird
Vendors & Products Mozilla
Mozilla thunderbird

Wed, 16 Sep 2026 14:45:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Description A maliciously constructed mail header could lead to multiple fields being parsed as one, or potential memory safety violations. This vulnerability was fixed in Thunderbird 156 and Thunderbird 140.16. A maliciously constructed mail header could lead to multiple fields being parsed as one, or potential memory safety violations. This vulnerability was fixed in Thunderbird 156, Thunderbird 140.16, and Thunderbird 153.3.
References

Tue, 15 Sep 2026 20:15:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Description A maliciously constructed mail header could lead to multiple fields being parsed as one, or potential memory safety violations. This vulnerability was fixed in Thunderbird 140.16. A maliciously constructed mail header could lead to multiple fields being parsed as one, or potential memory safety violations. This vulnerability was fixed in Thunderbird 156 and Thunderbird 140.16.
References

Tue, 15 Sep 2026 20:00:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Description A maliciously constructed mail header could lead to multiple fields being parsed as one, or potential memory safety violations. This vulnerability was fixed in Thunderbird 140.16.
Title Ambiguous parsing of mail headers
References

Subscriptions

Mozilla Thunderbird
cve-icon MITRE

Status: PUBLISHED

Assigner: mozilla

Published:

Updated: 2026-09-16T14:24:28.700Z

Reserved: 2026-09-15T19:42:50.750Z

Link: CVE-2026-92238

cve-icon Vulnrichment

No data.

cve-icon NVD

Status : Awaiting Analysis

Published: 2026-09-15T20:19:41.477

Modified: 2026-09-16T19:34:05.910

Link: CVE-2026-92238

cve-icon Redhat

Severity : Moderate

Publid Date: 2026-09-15T19:42:51Z

Links: CVE-2026-92238 - Bugzilla

cve-icon OpenCVE Enrichment

Updated: 2026-09-17T06:15:04Z

Weaknesses
  • CWE-119

    Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer

  • CWE-200

    Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor

  • CWE-843

    Access of Resource Using Incompatible Type ('Type Confusion')