SV-223157r612236: Network shell protocol is enabled in FireFox. | Mozilla Firefox Security Technical Implementation Guide

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Assessment Title

Rule Text

Network shell protocol is enabled in FireFox.

Description

Discussion Text

Although current versions of Firefox have this set to disabled by default, use of this option can be harmful. This would allow the browser to access the Windows shell. This could allow access to the underlying system. This check verifies that the default setting has not been changed.

How this relates to the STIG checklist: STIG vs SCAP benchmark.

IA Controls

NIST SP 800-53

Not mappedCCI-000381SV-16710V-15771

References

DPMS Target Mozilla Firefox DISA DPMS Target Mozilla Firefox 4097

SCC Automation Reference

The reconstructed evaluation script behind this rule's OVAL check(s) — every module a compound check combines, with this rule's own concrete values and DISA's SCC tool's real per-module mechanism curated from static teardown of SCC releases.

Assessment Script Powered by AISandbox-executed

A standalone Shell script to assess this control automatically. Review before running it in your environment.

Syntax-checked and actually executed in an isolated sandbox (not the real system this checks) — confirmed to run without errors.

#!/bin/sh
# OVAL Definition: oval:mil.disa.stig.mozilla.firefox.rhel:def:40
if [ ! -x "$(command -v firefox)" ]; then echo "PASS"; exit 0; fi
if [ ! -f ~/.mozilla/firefox/prefs.js ]; then echo "PASS"; exit 0; fi
if grep -q "^//" ~/.mozilla/firefox/prefs.js; then
    filename=$(grep -oP '^\s*pref\("\Kgeneral\.config\.filename"(?=")\' ~/.mozilla/firefox/prefs.js)
    if [ -n "$filename" ] && [ -f ~/.mozilla/$filename ]; then
        grep -q "^\\s*pref\\(\\s*\"network\\.protocol-handler\\.external\\.shell\"\\s*,\\s*false\\s*\\)\\s*$" ~/.mozilla/$filename && echo "PASS"
    else
        echo "FAIL"; fi
else
    echo "FAIL"; fi
exit 1

Remediation

Procedure: Set the value of "network.protocol-handler.external.shell" to "false" and lock using the Mozilla.cfg file.