CVE-2026-118178
RSS feed could redirect its subscription to a local file or network share
Description
A remote RSS feed could use the itunes:new-feed-url or newLocation element to permanently change its stored subscription URL to a file: URL. Thunderbird then read that location on every feed update. This allowed a malicious feed, or an attacker able to modify a feed delivered over HTTP, to make Thunderbird read local files and, on Windows, connect to an attacker-controlled network share, which could leak the user's NTLM credentials. The NTLM credential leak only affects Thunderbird on Windows. Other operating systems are affected by the local file read only. This vulnerability was fixed in Thunderbird 159 and Thunderbird 153.6.
INFO
Published Date :
Oct. 27, 2026, 7:17 p.m.
Last Modified :
Oct. 27, 2026, 7:17 p.m.
Remotely Exploit :
No
Source :
[email protected]
Solution
- Update Thunderbird to version 159 or later.
- Avoid parsing untrusted RSS feeds.
- Configure Thunderbird to not auto-update feeds.
- Disable or restrict file: protocol handling.
References to Advisories, Solutions, and Tools
Here, you will find a curated list of external links that provide in-depth
information, practical solutions, and valuable tools related to
CVE-2026-118178.
| URL | Resource |
|---|---|
| https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=2075772 | |
| https://www.mozilla.org/security/advisories/mfsa2026-121/ | |
| https://www.mozilla.org/security/advisories/mfsa2026-122/ |
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration
While CVE identifies
specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or
weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-118178 is
associated with the following CWEs:
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification
(CAPEC)
stores attack patterns, which are descriptions of the common attributes and
approaches employed by adversaries to exploit the CVE-2026-118178
weaknesses.
We scan GitHub repositories to detect new proof-of-concept exploits. Following list is a collection of public exploits and proof-of-concepts, which have been published on GitHub (sorted by the most recently updated).
Results are limited to the first 15 repositories due to potential performance issues.
The following list is the news that have been mention
CVE-2026-118178 vulnerability anywhere in the article.
The following table lists the changes that have been made to the
CVE-2026-118178 vulnerability over time.
Vulnerability history details can be useful for understanding the evolution of a vulnerability, and for identifying the most recent changes that may impact the vulnerability's severity, exploitability, or other characteristics.
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New CVE Received by [email protected]
Oct. 27, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Description A remote RSS feed could use the itunes:new-feed-url or newLocation element to permanently change its stored subscription URL to a file: URL. Thunderbird then read that location on every feed update. This allowed a malicious feed, or an attacker able to modify a feed delivered over HTTP, to make Thunderbird read local files and, on Windows, connect to an attacker-controlled network share, which could leak the user's NTLM credentials. The NTLM credential leak only affects Thunderbird on Windows. Other operating systems are affected by the local file read only. This vulnerability was fixed in Thunderbird 159 and Thunderbird 153.6. Added Affected New affected value received. <a href="https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/blob/main/cves/2026/118xxx/CVE-2026-118178.json">CVE-2026-118178</a> Added Reference https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=2075772 Added Reference https://www.mozilla.org/security/advisories/mfsa2026-121/ Added Reference https://www.mozilla.org/security/advisories/mfsa2026-122/