A bug with the SSDP engine in Firefox for Android would allow attackers to exploit targeted Android phones that are connected to the same Wi-Fi network as the attacker and have Firefox installed.

SSDP stands for Simple Service Discovery Protocol, it is a text-based protocol that sends out discovery messages to the devices on the same network.

For attackers to exploit this vulnerability the target system should have the Firefox application running on their phone, no user interaction or malicious app installation is required.

Firefox for Android Bug

The bug was discovered by Australian security researcher Chris Moberly, with the Firefox Mobile v79, and reported to Mozilla, they acknowledged the vulnerability and the functionality has been removed from the new version.

The vulnerable Firefox version periodically sends out SSDP discovery messages via UDP multicast on the same network to look for the devices available for casting.

Any device that is connected to the same network responds to the broadcast message and provides a location to obtain detailed information on UPnP(Universal Plug and Play) device.

Firefox tries to access the XML file to confirm the UPnP specifications, where the vulnerability comes to play.

“Instead of providing the location of an XML file describing a UPnP device, an attacker can run a malicious SSDP server that responds with a specially crafted message pointing to an Android intent URI.”

The vulnerability would let the attacker trigger the device to perform unauthorized functions with zero interaction from the end-user.

Researchers also published PoC for the vulnerability;

Android users are recommended to update with version 80.1.3, the vulnerability impacts only the mobile version, desktop versions are not affected.

You can follow us on Linkedin, Twitter, Facebook for daily Cybersecurity and hacking news updates.

Also Read

Top 10 Best App Locks and Privacy Lock for Android Devices in 2020