Mozilla Firefox Security Technical Implementation Guide
V005.002R5 2020-12-10       U_MOZ_Firefox_RHEL_V5R2_STIG_SCAP_1-2_Benchmark.xml
This Security Technical Implementation Guide is published as a tool to improve the security of Department of Defense (DoD) information systems. The requirements are derived from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) 800-53 and related documents. Comments or proposed revisions to this document should be sent via email to the following address: [email protected]
Vuln Rule Version CCI Severity Title Description
SV-223152r612236_rule DTBF030 CCI-001453 MEDIUM Firefox must be configured to allow only TLS. Use of versions prior to TLS 1.1 are not permitted. SSL 2.0 and SSL 3.0 contain a number of security flaws. These versions must be disabled in compliance with the Network Infrastructure and Secure Remote Computing STIGs.
SV-223153r612236_rule DTBF050 CCI-000187 MEDIUM FireFox is configured to ask which certificate to present to a web site when a certificate is required. When a web site asks for a certificate for user authentication, Firefox must be configured to have the user choose which certificate to present. Websites within DOD require user authentication for access which increases security for DoD information. Access will be denied to the user if certificate management is not configured.
SV-223154r612236_rule DTBF085 CCI-000381 MEDIUM Firefox automatically checks for updated version of installed Search plugins. Updates need to be controlled and installed from authorized and trusted servers. This setting overrides a number of other settings which may direct the application to access external URLs.
SV-223155r612236_rule DTBF090 CCI-000381 MEDIUM Firefox automatically updates installed add-ons and plugins. Set this to false to disable checking for updated versions of the Extensions/Themes. Automatic updates from untrusted sites puts the enclave at risk of attack and may override security settings.
SV-223157r612236_rule DTBF105 CCI-000381 MEDIUM Network shell protocol is enabled in FireFox. 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.
SV-223158r612236_rule DTBF110 CCI-001243 MEDIUM Firefox is not configured to prompt a user before downloading and opening required file types. New file types cannot be added directly to the helper applications or plugins listing. Files with these extensions will not be allowed to use Firefox publicly available plugins and extensions to open. The application will be configured to open these files using external applications only. After a helper application or save to disk download action has been set, that action will be taken automatically for those types of files. When the user receives a dialog box asking if you want to save the file or open it with a specified application, this indicates that a plugin does not exist. The user has not previously selected a download action or helper application to automatically use for that type of file. When prompted, if the user checks the option to Do this automatically for files like this from now on, then an entry will appear for that type of file in the plugins listing and this file type is automatically opened in the future. This can be a security issue. New file types cannot be added directly to the Application plugin listing.
SV-223160r612236_rule DTBF140 CCI-000381 MEDIUM Firefox formfill assistance option is disabled. In order to protect privacy and sensitive data, Firefox provides the ability to configure Firefox such that data entered into forms is not saved. This mitigates the risk of a website gleaning private information from prefilled information.
SV-223161r612236_rule DTBF150 CCI-000381 MEDIUM Firefox is configured to autofill passwords. While on the internet, it may be possible for an attacker to view the saved password files and gain access to the user's accounts on various hosts.
SV-223162r612236_rule DTBF160 CCI-000381 MEDIUM FireFox is configured to use a password store with or without a master password. Firefox can be set to store passwords for sites visited by the user. These individual passwords are stored in a file and can be protected by a master password. Autofill of the password can then be enabled when the site is visited. This feature could also be used to autofill the certificate pin which could lead to compromise of DoD information.
SV-223163r612236_rule DTBF180 CCI-000381 MEDIUM FireFox is not configured to block pop-up windows. Popup windows may be used to launch an attack within a new browser window with altered settings. This setting blocks popup windows created while the page is loading.
SV-223164r612236_rule DTBF181 CCI-000381 MEDIUM FireFox is configured to allow JavaScript to move or resize windows. JavaScript can make changes to the browser’s appearance. This activity can help disguise an attack taking place in a minimized background window. Set browser setting to prevent scripts on visited websites from moving and resizing browser windows.
SV-223165r612236_rule DTBF182 CCI-000381 MEDIUM Firefox is configured to allow JavaScript to raise or lower windows. JavaScript can make changes to the browser’s appearance. Allowing a website to use JavaScript to raise and lower browser windows may disguise an attack. Browser windows may not be set as active via JavaScript.
SV-223166r612236_rule DTBF183 CCI-000381 MEDIUM Firefox is configured to allow JavaScript to disable or replace context menus. A context menu (also known as a pop-up menu) is often used in a graphical user interface (GUI) and appears upon user interaction (e.g., a right mouse click). A context menu offers a limited set of choices that are available in the current state, or context, of the operating system or application. A website may execute JavaScript that can make changes to these context menus. This can help disguise an attack. Set this preference to "false" so that webpages will not be able to affect the context menu event.
SV-223167r612236_rule DTBF186 CCI-000381 MEDIUM Extensions install must be disabled. A browser extension is a program that has been installed into the browser which adds functionality to it. Where a plug-in interacts only with a web page and usually a third party external application (Flash, Adobe Reader) an extension interacts with the browser program itself. Extensions are not embedded in web pages and must be downloaded and installed in order to work. Extensions allow browsers to avoid restrictions which apply to web pages. For example, an extension can be written to combine data from multiple domains and present it when a certain page is accessed which can be considered Cross Site Scripting. If a browser is configured to allow unrestricted use of extension then plug-ins can be loaded and installed from malicious sources and used on the browser.
SV-223168r612236_rule DTBF190 CCI-000381 MEDIUM Background submission of information to Mozilla must be disabled. There should be no background submission of technical and other information from DoD computers to Mozilla with portions posted publically.
SV-223169r612236_rule DTBF195 CCI-001312 LOW Firefox Development Tools Must Be Disabled. While the risk associated with browser development tools is more related to the proper design of a web application, a risk vector remains within the browser. The developer tools allow end users and application developers to view and edit all types of web application related data via the browser. Page elements, source code, javascript, API calls, application data, etc. may all be viewed and potentially manipulated. Manipulation could be useful for troubleshooting legitimate issues, and this may be performed in a development environment. Manipulation could also be malicious and must be addressed.
SV-223170r612236_rule DTBF200 CCI-000381 MEDIUM Telemetry must be disabled. The Telemetry feature provides this capability by sending performance and usage info to Mozilla. As you use Firefox, Telemetry measures and collects non-personal information, such as performance, hardware, usage and customizations. It then sends this information to Mozilla on a daily basis and we use it to improve Firefox.
SV-223171r612236_rule DTBF205 CCI-000381 MEDIUM Telemetry archive must be disabled. The Telemetry feature provides this capability by sending performance and usage info to Mozilla. As you use Firefox, Telemetry measures and collects non-personal information, such as performance, hardware, usage and customizations. It then sends this information to Mozilla on a daily basis and we use it to improve Firefox.
SV-223172r612236_rule DTBF210 CCI-000381 MEDIUM Fingerprinting protection must be enabled. The Content Blocking/Tracking Protection feature stops Firefox from loading content from malicious sites. The content might be a script or an image, for example. If a site is on one of the tracker lists you set Firefox to use, then the fingerprinting script (or other tracking script/image) will not be loaded from that site. Fingerprinting scripts collect information about your browser and device configuration, such as your operating system, screen resolution, and other settings. By compiling these pieces of data, fingerprinters create a unique profile of you that can be used to track you around the Web.
SV-223173r612236_rule DTBF215 CCI-000381 MEDIUM Cryptomining protection must be enabled. The Content Blocking/Tracking Protection feature stops Firefox from loading content from malicious sites. The content might be a script or an image, for example. If a site is on one of the tracker lists you set Firefox to use, then the fingerprinting script (or other tracking script/image) will not be loaded from that site. Cryptomining scripts use your computer’s central processing unit (CPU) to invisibly mine cryptocurrency.
SV-223174r612236_rule DTBF220 CCI-000381 MEDIUM Enhanced Tracking Protection must be enabled. Tracking generally refers to content, cookies, or scripts that can collect your browsing data across multiple sites.
SV-223175r612236_rule DTBF225 CCI-000381 MEDIUM Extension recommendations must be disabled. The Recommended Extensions program will make it easier for users to discover extensions that have been reviewed for security, functionality, and user experience.
SV-223177r612236_rule DTBF235 CCI-001453 MEDIUM Deprecated ciphers must be disabled. A weak cipher is defined as an encryption/decryption algorithm that uses a key of insufficient length. Using an insufficient length for a key in an encryption/decryption algorithm opens up the possibility (or probability) that the encryption scheme could be broken.