CVE-2026-2781: Integer Overflow in NSS Used by Firefox

CVE-2026-2781 is a critical flaw (CVSS 9.8) in the Libraries component in NSS component of Firefox and Thunderbird. Mozilla announced the fix on 24 February 2026 in Firefox 148, Firefox ESR 140.8, Thunderbird 148, Thunderbird 140.8 and Firefox ESR 115.35. Update to those releases or later. The record does not mark it as a CISA Known Exploited Vulnerability.

What's affected

Firefox and Thunderbird builds older than the fixed releases. Mozilla fixed this issue in Firefox 148, Firefox ESR 140.8, Thunderbird 148, Thunderbird 140.8 and Firefox ESR 115.35.

NVD scores it 9.8 (Critical). Mozilla's own advisory rates the issue moderate. Both numbers are worth knowing: the NVD vector assumes a network attack with no privileges, while the vendor rating reflects how Mozilla weighs it for a browser.

This one has an extra fixed release, Firefox ESR 115.35,.

How to check if you're exposed

Check the version you run against the fixed releases.

• Firefox: open the menu, choose Help, then About Firefox. The dialog shows the version and checks for an update.
• Thunderbird: open Help, then About Thunderbird.

From a terminal, on systems where the binaries are on your path:

firefox --version
thunderbird --version

Linux distributions often ship fixes under their own package versions. If you install from a distribution repository, check your distributor's security notice for this CVE instead of comparing version numbers by eye. In a managed fleet, look at your software inventory for Firefox and Thunderbird builds below the fixed releases.

What to do now

1. Update Firefox and Thunderbird to Firefox 148 or later on your release channel, or to the matching ESR release.
2. On managed desktops, push the update through your normal software deployment tool and confirm the installed versions afterwards.
3. Restart both applications. A browser that has downloaded an update keeps running the old code until it restarts.
4. Check the advisory for your exact branch if you run an ESR or a distribution package.

Why it matters

Integer overflow bugs happen when arithmetic on a size or count wraps past its limit and later code trusts the wrapped value. NVD files this one under CWE-190 (Integer Overflow or Wraparound). NSS is the cryptography library that Firefox and Thunderbird use, so a flaw in it is worth tracking even when the vendor rates it lower than NVD does.

Browsers and mail clients process content from outside your organisation all day, so a fix in either is worth rolling out quickly even when the vendor's rating is lower than the NVD score.

If you build software on NSS outside the browser, check whether your product bundles its own copy. A dependency scan at https://gold.safeguard.sh/scan can show which NSS version a project pulls in.

Rolling the update out

Browser and mail updates are easy to start and easy to leave half finished. A few habits help.

Treat Firefox and Thunderbird as two separate rollouts. Thunderbird is easy to forget because users open it less often and it may not sit in the same management group as the browser.

Check the installed version after the update, not the policy that sent it. Inventory tools show builds that downloaded an update but never restarted, and those still run the old code.

If you run an ESR branch, confirm which ESR the fix covers. The records list ESR 115.33, ESR 140.8 or both depending on the CVE, and the advisory pages show which branch each fix reached.

Keep a note of the date you applied the update and the versions you reached. That record answers audit and customer questions later without a scramble.

Quick check

Sources

• Mozilla Foundation Security Advisory 2026-13 (Firefox 148)
• Mozilla Foundation Security Advisory 2026-15 (Firefox ESR 140.8)
• Mozilla Foundation Security Advisory 2026-16 (Thunderbird 148)

Last reviewed: 19 October 2026.