Vulnerability Monitor

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CVE-2017-16541

Tor Browser before 7.0.9 on macOS and Linux allows remote attackers to bypass the intended anonymity feature and discover a client IP address via vectors involving a crafted web site that leverages file:// mishandling in Firefox, aka TorMoil. NOTE: Tails is unaffected.

Security Impact Summary

This vulnerability carries a MEDIUM severity rating with a CVSS v3.1 score of 6.5, indicating it can be exploited remotely over the network with relatively low complexity though user interaction is required and does not require pre-existing privileges . The vulnerability impacts confidentiality (data exposure), for affected systems. Impacting 10 products from torproject, from apple, from linux and 7 others, organizations running these solutions should prioritize assessment and patching.

Historical Context

First disclosed in 2017, this vulnerability was reported during a period defined by widespread IoT adoption challenges, mobile security concerns, and the emergence of advanced persistent threat (APT) techniques. Contemporary mitigation strategies focused on secure development practices and third-party component vetting.

Published

2017-11-04T18:29:00.187

Last Modified

2025-04-20T01:37:25.860

Status

Deferred

Source

[email protected]

Severity

CVSSv3.1: 6.5 (MEDIUM)

CVSSv2 Vector

AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:P/I:N/A:N

Access Vector: NETWORK
Access Complexity: MEDIUM
Authentication: NONE
Confidentiality Impact: PARTIAL
Integrity Impact: NONE
Availability Impact: NONE

Exploitability Score

8.6

Impact Score

2.9

Weaknesses

Type: Primary
CWE-200

Affected Vendors & Products

Type	Vendor	Product	Version/Range	Vulnerable?
Application	torproject	tor	< 7.0.9	Yes
Operating System	apple	macos	-	No
Operating System	linux	linux_kernel	-	No
Operating System	redhat	enterprise_linux_desktop	6.0	Yes
Operating System	redhat	enterprise_linux_desktop	7.0	Yes
Operating System	redhat	enterprise_linux_eus	7.5	Yes
Operating System	redhat	enterprise_linux_eus	7.6	Yes
Operating System	redhat	enterprise_linux_eus	7.7	Yes
Operating System	redhat	enterprise_linux_server	6.0	Yes
Operating System	redhat	enterprise_linux_server	7.0	Yes
Operating System	redhat	enterprise_linux_server_aus	7.6	Yes
Operating System	redhat	enterprise_linux_server_aus	7.7	Yes
Operating System	redhat	enterprise_linux_server_tus	7.6	Yes
Operating System	redhat	enterprise_linux_server_tus	7.7	Yes
Operating System	redhat	enterprise_linux_workstation	6.0	Yes
Operating System	redhat	enterprise_linux_workstation	7.0	Yes
Operating System	debian	debian_linux	8.0	Yes
Operating System	debian	debian_linux	9.0	Yes

References

http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/101665 Broken Link ([email protected])
http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1041610 Broken Link ([email protected])
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:2692 Third Party Advisory ([email protected])
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:2693 Third Party Advisory ([email protected])
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:3403 Third Party Advisory ([email protected])
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:3458 Third Party Advisory ([email protected])
https://blog.torproject.org/tor-browser-709-released Issue Tracking, Vendor Advisory ([email protected])
https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1412081 Exploit, Issue Tracking, Third Party Advisory ([email protected])
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2018/11/msg00011.html Mailing List, Third Party Advisory ([email protected])
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201810-01 Third Party Advisory ([email protected])
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201811-13 Third Party Advisory ([email protected])
https://trac.torproject.org/projects/tor/ticket/24052 Issue Tracking, Vendor Advisory ([email protected])
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/tormoil-vulnerability-leaks-real-ip-address-from-tor-browser-users/ Issue Tracking, Third Party Advisory ([email protected])
https://www.debian.org/security/2018/dsa-4327 Third Party Advisory ([email protected])
https://www.wearesegment.com/research/tormoil-torbrowser-unspecified-critical-security-vulnerability/ Issue Tracking, Third Party Advisory ([email protected])
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/101665 Broken Link (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1041610 Broken Link (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:2692 Third Party Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:2693 Third Party Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:3403 Third Party Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:3458 Third Party Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
https://blog.torproject.org/tor-browser-709-released Issue Tracking, Vendor Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1412081 Exploit, Issue Tracking, Third Party Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2018/11/msg00011.html Mailing List, Third Party Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201810-01 Third Party Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201811-13 Third Party Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
https://trac.torproject.org/projects/tor/ticket/24052 Issue Tracking, Vendor Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/tormoil-vulnerability-leaks-real-ip-address-from-tor-browser-users/ Issue Tracking, Third Party Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
https://www.debian.org/security/2018/dsa-4327 Third Party Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
https://www.wearesegment.com/research/tormoil-torbrowser-unspecified-critical-security-vulnerability/ Issue Tracking, Third Party Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)

How SecUtils Interprets This CVE

SecUtils normalizes and enriches National Vulnerability Database (NVD) records by standardizing vendor and product identifiers, aggregating vulnerability metadata from both NVD and MITRE sources, and providing structured context for security teams. For torproject's affected products, we extract Common Platform Enumeration (CPE) data, Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) classifications, CVSS severity metrics, and reference data to enable rapid vulnerability prioritization and asset correlation. This record contains no exploit code, proof-of-concept instructions, or attack methodologies—only defensive intelligence necessary for patch management, risk assessment, and security operations.