CVE-2023-5721
Medium · 4.3CVSS
4.3
EPSS
0.8%
Published
Oct 25, 2023
CISA due date
—
Cloudanix analysis
Schedule a fix
SSVC: Track
A timing issue in older browser versions could let users accidentally click yes or no on pop-up windows without meaning to.
- Exploitation
- Requires User Interaction
- Attacker needs
- User Interaction
- Complexity
- Moderate
- Impact
- Data Tampering
- Component
- Application
- Class
- Other
- Remediation
- Upgrade
- Effort
- Medium
- Patch risk
- Low
What it actually does
Insufficient activation delay on browser prompts and dialogs allows unintentional user activation or dismissal through timing-based UI interactions.
Why it matters to the business
Users on unpatched systems may inadvertently grant permissions or dismiss security warnings, increasing risk of unintended actions in daily browsing or email use, with elevated urgency for organizations running older Debian Linux distributions.
How an attack unfolds
An attacker hosts a malicious webpage that triggers timed prompts or dialogs while the user performs other actions, leveraging the missing delay to cause an unintended click that activates or dismisses the dialog without full user intent.
How to fix it
Upgrade affected Firefox to version 119 or later, Firefox ESR to 115.4 or later, Thunderbird to 115.4.1 or later; for Debian 11 systems apply the linux package update to 5.10.209-1.
How to confirm the fix worked
Confirm browser and Thunderbird versions meet or exceed the fixed releases; test prompt and dialog activation timing on updated instances to verify the delay is enforced.
Typical attack path
- Attacker crafts webpage containing elements that trigger browser prompts or dialogs
- Page times the prompt appearance to coincide with expected user mouse or keyboard activity
- Insufficient delay allows the user's action to register on the prompt instead of the intended target
- User unintentionally activates or dismisses the dialog, potentially granting permissions or accepting actions
How to detect it
Review browser and Thunderbird version inventories for instances below the fixed releases; monitor for unexpected permission grants or dialog interactions in user reports or audit logs.
What your security team should do
- Prioritize patching Debian 11 systems to linux 5.10.209-1 immediately due to broad ecosystem presence
- Enforce browser and email client auto-update policies across all endpoints
- Review application allowlists to reduce exposure from outdated browser instances
The record
It was possible for certain browser prompts and dialogs to be activated or dismissed unintentionally by the user due to an insufficient activation-delay. This vulnerability affects Firefox < 119, Firefox ESR < 115.4, and Thunderbird < 115.4.1.
Affected packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Introduced | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| AlmaLinux:8 | firefox | 0 | 115.4.0-1.el8_8.alma.1 |
| AlmaLinux:8 | thunderbird | 0 | 115.4.1-1.el8_8.alma.1 |
| AlmaLinux:9 | firefox | 0 | 115.4.0-1.el9_2.alma.1 |
| AlmaLinux:9 | firefox-x11 | 0 | 115.4.0-1.el9_2.alma.1 |
| AlmaLinux:9 | thunderbird | 0 | 115.4.1-1.el9_2.alma |
| Debian:10 | firefox-esr | 0 | 115.4.0esr-1~deb10u1 |
| Debian:10 | thunderbird | 0 | 1:115.4.1-1~deb10u1 |
| Debian:11 | firefox-esr | 0 | 115.4.0esr-1~deb11u1 |
| Debian:11 | thunderbird | 0 | 1:115.4.1-1~deb11u1 |
| Debian:12 | firefox-esr | 0 | 115.4.0esr-1~deb12u1 |
| Debian:12 | thunderbird | 0 | 1:115.4.1-1~deb12u1 |
| Debian:13 | firefox-esr | 0 | 115.4.0esr-1 |
| Debian:13 | thunderbird | 0 | 1:115.4.1-1 |
| Mageia:9 | firefox | 0 | 115.4.0-1.mga9 |
| Mageia:9 | firefox-l10n | 0 | 115.4.0-1.mga9 |
| Mageia:9 | nss | 0 | 3.94.0-1.mga9 |
| Mageia:9 | thunderbird | 0 | 115.4.1-1.mga9 |
| Mageia:9 | thunderbird-l10n | 0 | 115.4.1-1.mga9 |
| Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | firefox | 0 | 0:115.4.0-1.el7_9 |
| Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::client | firefox-debuginfo | 0 | 0:115.4.0-1.el7_9 |
| Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::server | firefox | 0 | 0:115.4.0-1.el7_9 |
| Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::server | firefox-debuginfo | 0 | 0:115.4.0-1.el7_9 |
| Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::workstation | firefox | 0 | 0:115.4.0-1.el7_9 |
| Red Hat:enterprise_linux:7::workstation | firefox-debuginfo | 0 | 0:115.4.0-1.el7_9 |
| Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::appstream | firefox | 0 | 0:115.4.0-1.el8_8 |
| Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::appstream | firefox-debuginfo | 0 | 0:115.4.0-1.el8_8 |
| Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::appstream | firefox-debugsource | 0 | 0:115.4.0-1.el8_8 |
| Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::appstream | thunderbird | 0 | 0:115.4.1-1.el8_8 |
| Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::appstream | thunderbird-debuginfo | 0 | 0:115.4.1-1.el8_8 |
| Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::appstream | thunderbird-debugsource | 0 | 0:115.4.1-1.el8_8 |
| Red Hat:enterprise_linux:9::appstream | firefox | 0 | 0:115.4.0-1.el9_2 |
| Red Hat:enterprise_linux:9::appstream | firefox-debuginfo | 0 | 0:115.4.0-1.el9_2 |
| Red Hat:enterprise_linux:9::appstream | firefox-debugsource | 0 | 0:115.4.0-1.el9_2 |
| Red Hat:enterprise_linux:9::appstream | firefox-x11 | 0 | 0:115.4.0-1.el9_2 |
| Red Hat:enterprise_linux:9::appstream | thunderbird | 0 | 0:115.4.1-1.el9_2 |
| Red Hat:enterprise_linux:9::appstream | thunderbird-debuginfo | 0 | 0:115.4.1-1.el9_2 |
| Red Hat:enterprise_linux:9::appstream | thunderbird-debugsource | 0 | 0:115.4.1-1.el9_2 |
| Red Hat:rhel_aus:8.2::appstream | firefox | 0 | 0:115.4.0-1.el8_2 |
| Red Hat:rhel_aus:8.2::appstream | firefox-debuginfo | 0 | 0:115.4.0-1.el8_2 |
| Red Hat:rhel_aus:8.2::appstream | firefox-debugsource | 0 | 0:115.4.0-1.el8_2 |
| Red Hat:rhel_aus:8.2::appstream | thunderbird | 0 | 0:115.4.1-1.el8_2 |
| Red Hat:rhel_aus:8.2::appstream | thunderbird-debuginfo | 0 | 0:115.4.1-1.el8_2 |
| Red Hat:rhel_aus:8.2::appstream | thunderbird-debugsource | 0 | 0:115.4.1-1.el8_2 |
| Red Hat:rhel_aus:8.4::appstream | thunderbird | 0 | 0:115.4.1-1.el8_4 |
| Red Hat:rhel_aus:8.4::appstream | thunderbird-debuginfo | 0 | 0:115.4.1-1.el8_4 |
| Red Hat:rhel_aus:8.4::appstream | thunderbird-debugsource | 0 | 0:115.4.1-1.el8_4 |
| Red Hat:rhel_e4s:8.1::appstream | firefox | 0 | 0:115.4.0-1.el8_1 |
| Red Hat:rhel_e4s:8.1::appstream | firefox-debuginfo | 0 | 0:115.4.0-1.el8_1 |
| Red Hat:rhel_e4s:8.1::appstream | firefox-debugsource | 0 | 0:115.4.0-1.el8_1 |
| Red Hat:rhel_e4s:8.1::appstream | thunderbird | 0 | 0:115.4.1-1.el8_1 |
| Red Hat:rhel_e4s:8.1::appstream | thunderbird-debuginfo | 0 | 0:115.4.1-1.el8_1 |
| Red Hat:rhel_e4s:8.1::appstream | thunderbird-debugsource | 0 | 0:115.4.1-1.el8_1 |
| Red Hat:rhel_e4s:8.2::appstream | firefox | 0 | 0:115.4.0-1.el8_2 |
| Red Hat:rhel_e4s:8.2::appstream | firefox-debuginfo | 0 | 0:115.4.0-1.el8_2 |
| Red Hat:rhel_e4s:8.2::appstream | firefox-debugsource | 0 | 0:115.4.0-1.el8_2 |
| Red Hat:rhel_e4s:8.2::appstream | thunderbird | 0 | 0:115.4.1-1.el8_2 |
| Red Hat:rhel_e4s:8.2::appstream | thunderbird-debuginfo | 0 | 0:115.4.1-1.el8_2 |
| Red Hat:rhel_e4s:8.2::appstream | thunderbird-debugsource | 0 | 0:115.4.1-1.el8_2 |
| Red Hat:rhel_e4s:8.4::appstream | thunderbird | 0 | 0:115.4.1-1.el8_4 |
| Red Hat:rhel_e4s:8.4::appstream | thunderbird-debuginfo | 0 | 0:115.4.1-1.el8_4 |
| Red Hat:rhel_e4s:8.4::appstream | thunderbird-debugsource | 0 | 0:115.4.1-1.el8_4 |
| Red Hat:rhel_eus:8.6::appstream | firefox | 0 | 0:115.4.0-1.el8_6 |
| Red Hat:rhel_eus:8.6::appstream | firefox-debuginfo | 0 | 0:115.4.0-1.el8_6 |
| Red Hat:rhel_eus:8.6::appstream | firefox-debugsource | 0 | 0:115.4.0-1.el8_6 |
| Red Hat:rhel_eus:8.6::appstream | thunderbird | 0 | 0:115.4.1-1.el8_6 |
| Red Hat:rhel_eus:8.6::appstream | thunderbird-debuginfo | 0 | 0:115.4.1-1.el8_6 |
| Red Hat:rhel_eus:8.6::appstream | thunderbird-debugsource | 0 | 0:115.4.1-1.el8_6 |
| Red Hat:rhel_eus:9.0::appstream | firefox | 0 | 0:115.4.0-1.el9_0 |
| Red Hat:rhel_eus:9.0::appstream | firefox-debuginfo | 0 | 0:115.4.0-1.el9_0 |
| Red Hat:rhel_eus:9.0::appstream | firefox-debugsource | 0 | 0:115.4.0-1.el9_0 |
| Red Hat:rhel_tus:8.2::appstream | firefox | 0 | 0:115.4.0-1.el8_2 |
| Red Hat:rhel_tus:8.2::appstream | firefox-debuginfo | 0 | 0:115.4.0-1.el8_2 |
| Red Hat:rhel_tus:8.2::appstream | firefox-debugsource | 0 | 0:115.4.0-1.el8_2 |
| Red Hat:rhel_tus:8.2::appstream | thunderbird | 0 | 0:115.4.1-1.el8_2 |
| Red Hat:rhel_tus:8.2::appstream | thunderbird-debuginfo | 0 | 0:115.4.1-1.el8_2 |
| Red Hat:rhel_tus:8.2::appstream | thunderbird-debugsource | 0 | 0:115.4.1-1.el8_2 |
| Red Hat:rhel_tus:8.4::appstream | thunderbird | 0 | 0:115.4.1-1.el8_4 |
| Red Hat:rhel_tus:8.4::appstream | thunderbird-debuginfo | 0 | 0:115.4.1-1.el8_4 |
| Red Hat:rhel_tus:8.4::appstream | thunderbird-debugsource | 0 | 0:115.4.1-1.el8_4 |
| Rocky Linux:9 | firefox | 0 | 0:115.4.0-1.el9_2 |
| SUSE:Enterprise Storage 7.1 | MozillaFirefox | 0 | 115.5.0-150200.152.117.1 |
| SUSE:Enterprise Storage 7.1 | MozillaFirefox | 0 | 115.4.0-150200.152.114.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP1-LTSS | MozillaFirefox | 0 | 115.5.0-150000.150.116.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP1-LTSS | MozillaFirefox | 0 | 115.4.0-150000.150.113.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP2-LTSS | MozillaFirefox | 0 | 115.5.0-150200.152.117.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP2-LTSS | MozillaFirefox | 0 | 115.4.0-150200.152.114.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP3-ESPOS | MozillaFirefox | 0 | 115.5.0-150200.152.117.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP3-ESPOS | MozillaFirefox | 0 | 115.4.0-150200.152.114.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP3-LTSS | MozillaFirefox | 0 | 115.5.0-150200.152.117.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP3-LTSS | MozillaFirefox | 0 | 115.4.0-150200.152.114.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Desktop Applications 15 SP4 | MozillaFirefox | 0 | 115.5.0-150200.152.117.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Desktop Applications 15 SP4 | MozillaFirefox | 0 | 115.4.0-150200.152.114.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Desktop Applications 15 SP5 | MozillaFirefox | 0 | 115.5.0-150200.152.117.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Desktop Applications 15 SP5 | MozillaFirefox | 0 | 115.4.0-150200.152.114.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Package Hub 15 SP4 | MozillaThunderbird | 0 | 115.4.1-150200.8.136.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Package Hub 15 SP5 | MozillaThunderbird | 0 | 115.4.1-150200.8.136.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP5 | MozillaFirefox | 0 | 115.5.0-112.191.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP5 | MozillaFirefox | 0 | 115.4.0-112.188.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP1-LTSS | MozillaFirefox | 0 | 115.5.0-150000.150.116.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP1-LTSS | MozillaFirefox | 0 | 115.4.0-150000.150.113.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP2-LTSS | MozillaFirefox | 0 | 115.5.0-150200.152.117.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP2-LTSS | MozillaFirefox | 0 | 115.4.0-150200.152.114.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP3-LTSS | MozillaFirefox | 0 | 115.5.0-150200.152.117.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP3-LTSS | MozillaFirefox | 0 | 115.4.0-150200.152.114.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 12 SP5 | MozillaFirefox | 0 | 115.5.0-112.191.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 12 SP5 | MozillaFirefox | 0 | 115.4.0-112.188.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP1 | MozillaFirefox | 0 | 115.5.0-150000.150.116.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP1 | MozillaFirefox | 0 | 115.4.0-150000.150.113.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP2 | MozillaFirefox | 0 | 115.5.0-150200.152.117.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP2 | MozillaFirefox | 0 | 115.4.0-150200.152.114.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP3 | MozillaFirefox | 0 | 115.5.0-150200.152.117.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP3 | MozillaFirefox | 0 | 115.4.0-150200.152.114.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Software Development Kit 12 SP5 | MozillaFirefox | 0 | 115.5.0-112.191.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Software Development Kit 12 SP5 | MozillaFirefox | 0 | 115.4.0-112.188.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Workstation Extension 15 SP4 | MozillaThunderbird | 0 | 115.4.1-150200.8.136.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Workstation Extension 15 SP5 | MozillaThunderbird | 0 | 115.4.1-150200.8.136.1 |
| Ubuntu:18.04:LTS | mozjs38 | 0 | No fix |
| Ubuntu:18.04:LTS | mozjs52 | 0 | No fix |
| Ubuntu:20.04:LTS | firefox | 0 | 119.0+build2-0ubuntu0.20.04.1 |
| Ubuntu:20.04:LTS | mozjs52 | 0 | No fix |
| Ubuntu:20.04:LTS | mozjs68 | 0 | No fix |
| Ubuntu:20.04:LTS | thunderbird | 0 | 1:115.4.1+build1-0ubuntu0.20.04.1 |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | mozjs102 | 0 | No fix |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | mozjs78 | 0 | No fix |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | mozjs91 | 0 | No fix |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | thunderbird | 0 | 1:115.4.1+build1-0ubuntu0.22.04.1 |
| Ubuntu:23.10 | thunderbird | 0 | 1:115.4.1+build1-0ubuntu0.23.10.1 |
| Ubuntu:24.04:LTS | mozjs102 | 0 | No fix |
| Ubuntu:24.04:LTS | thunderbird | 0 | 1:115.4.1+build1-0ubuntu1 |
| Ubuntu:Pro:18.04:LTS | mozjs38 | 0 | No fix |
| Ubuntu:Pro:18.04:LTS | mozjs52 | 0 | No fix |
| Ubuntu:Pro:20.04:LTS | mozjs52 | 0 | No fix |
| Ubuntu:Pro:20.04:LTS | mozjs68 | 0 | No fix |
| Ubuntu:Pro:22.04:LTS | mozjs78 | 0 | No fix |
| Ubuntu:Pro:24.04:LTS | mozjs102 | 0 | No fix |
| openSUSE:Leap 15.4 | MozillaFirefox | 0 | 115.5.0-150200.152.117.1 |
| openSUSE:Leap 15.4 | MozillaFirefox | 0 | 115.4.0-150200.152.114.1 |
| openSUSE:Leap 15.4 | MozillaThunderbird | 0 | 115.4.1-150200.8.136.1 |
| openSUSE:Leap 15.5 | MozillaFirefox | 0 | 115.5.0-150200.152.117.1 |
| openSUSE:Leap 15.5 | MozillaFirefox | 0 | 115.4.0-150200.152.114.1 |
| openSUSE:Leap 15.5 | MozillaThunderbird | 0 | 115.4.1-150200.8.136.1 |
| openSUSE:Tumbleweed | MozillaFirefox | 0 | 119.0-1.1 |
| openSUSE:Tumbleweed | MozillaThunderbird | 0 | 115.4.1-1.1 |
| openSUSE:Tumbleweed | firefox-esr | 0 | 128.5.1-1.1 |
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