Thunderbird loads attacker-chosen URL from OpenPGP key attachment
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- Code execution
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- High · None · None
- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 3 without a fix
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CISA ADP. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat. Impact type from CWE-829.
Summary
A remote sender can mark an OpenPGP key attachment in a message as an external attachment that points to an arbitrary URL. When Mozilla Thunderbird displays the message, it loads that URL without user interaction, bypassing remote content blocking (CWE-829). On Windows, a URL to an attacker-controlled network share can leak the user's NTLM credentials.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-11-04
Description from the CNA
When a message containing an OpenPGP key attachment was displayed, Thunderbird automatically loaded the attachment's content to offer importing the key. A sender could mark the attachment as an external attachment pointing to an arbitrary URL, which Thunderbird then loaded without any user interaction, bypassing remote content blocking. On Windows, a URL pointing to an attacker-controlled network share could leak the user's NTLM credentials. The NTLM credential leak only affects Thunderbird on Windows. On other operating systems, the issue allowed a remote request that bypassed remote content blocking. This vulnerability was fixed in Thunderbird 159 and Thunderbird 153.6.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- No
- Technical impact
- Partial
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
Remediation
Update Mozilla Thunderbird to version 153.6 or 159, the fixed versions. Red Hat lists Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8, 9 and 10 as affected with no fix available.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-11-04
- Fix · CNA Thunderbird (Mozilla) Fixed in 153.6, 159
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Important. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
Timeline
- 2026-10-27 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-118174
- 2026-10-27 Fix available: Mozilla/[email protected] · CNA
- 2026-10-27 1 new reference · CNA
- 2026-10-27 Alias added: GHSA-7h4p-h257-qp65
- 2026-10-29 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
- 2026-10-29 CVSS score added · Red Hat
- 2026-10-30 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
- 2026-10-30 CVSS score changed · Red Hat
- 2026-11-04 CVSS score added · CISA ADP
- 2026-11-04 Weakness changed · CISA ADP
- 2026-11-04 CISA SSVC decision points changed
References
More Mozilla vulnerabilities
- TI-2024-08981 Use after free in Mozilla Firefox KEVCVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2022-09832 Use after free in Mozilla Firefox KEVCVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.6
- TI-2019-08769 Improper input validation in Mozilla Firefox ESR KEVCVSS 3.1CRITICAL 10.0
- TI-2010-03577 Mozilla Firefox 3.5.x through 3.5.14 and 3.6.x through 3.6.11, Thunderbird 3.1.6 before… KEVCVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2023-04799 Out-of-bounds write in Google Chrome KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
- TI-2023-04477 Out-of-bounds write in Google Chrome KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
Sources
- CVE-2026-118174 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-118174 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-7h4p-h257-qp65 · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-118174 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences