CAPEC-472

Browser Fingerprinting

Low severityDetailed pattern

An attacker carefully crafts small snippets of Java Script to efficiently detect the type of browser the potential victim is using. Many web-based attacks need prior knowledge of the web browser including the version of browser to ensure successful exploitation of a vulnerability. Having this knowledge allows an attacker to target the victim with attacks that specifically exploit known or zero day weaknesses in the type and version of the browser used by the victim. Automating this process via Java Script as a part of the same delivery system used to exploit the browser is considered more efficient as the attacker can supply a browser fingerprinting method and integrate it with exploit code, all contained in Java Script and in response to the same web page request by the browser.

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Prerequisites
Mitigations
Weaknesses it exploits
Related attack patterns
Examples

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Explain the attack pattern CAPEC-472: Browser Fingerprinting: how it unfolds, what it needs and how to prevent and detect it in my systems. Use https://capec.mitre.org/data/definitions/472.html and https://cve.bz/cve/capec/472?via=ask-ai-copy, which lists recent CVEs with the weaknesses it exploits. Cite the sources.

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Prerequisites

Victim's browser visits a website that contains attacker's Java ScriptJava Script is not disabled in the victim's browser

Mitigations

Configuration: Disable Java Script in the browser

Weaknesses it exploits

CWE-200 Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor

Recent CVEs with these weaknesses

4.3CVE-2026-1249442026-11-10
Information disclosure in the Marionette component. This vulnerability was fixed in Firefox 160.
4.3CVE-2026-1249412026-11-10
Information disclosure in the Security: RLBox component. This vulnerability was fixed in Firefox 160 and Firefox ESR 153.7.
4.3CVE-2026-1249302026-11-10
Information disclosure in the Address Bar component. This vulnerability was fixed in Firefox 160 and Firefox ESR 153.7.
4.3CVE-2026-1249292026-11-10
Information disclosure in the Layout: Form Controls component. This vulnerability was fixed in Firefox 160 and Firefox ESR 153.7.
4.3CVE-2026-1249252026-11-10
Information disclosure in the Layout component. This vulnerability was fixed in Firefox 160.
4.3CVE-2026-1249092026-11-10
Information disclosure in the Private Browsing component. This vulnerability was fixed in Firefox 160 and Firefox ESR 153.7.
5.3CVE-2026-967692026-11-10
The Extend B2B - Companies and Users Management for WooCommerce plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Sensitive Information Exposure in all versions up to, and including, 2.1.4 via the register_company_api. This makes it possible for unaut…
7.5CVE-2026-636442026-11-09
bird-lg-go is a BIRD looking glass in Go. Prior to version 1.4.7, unsanitized input path enables arbitrary local file read, allowing an unauthenticated remote attacker to read sensitive files such as /etc/shadow and /root/.bash_history. Th…

The newest records naming one of them. Each weakness's page lists them all.

Part of: CAPEC-541 Application Fingerprinting

Examples

The following code snippets can be used to detect various browsers:

Firefox 2/3
  FF=/a/[-1]=='a'
Firefox 3
  FF3=(function x(){})[-5]=='x'
Firefox 2
  FF2=(function x(){})[-6]=='x'
IE
  IE='\v'=='v'
Safari
  Saf=/a/.__proto__=='//'
Chrome
  Chr=/source/.test((/a/.toString+''))
Opera
  Op=/^function \(/.test([].sort)

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