CVE-2004-1122 in Safari
Summary
by MITRE
Safari 1.x to 1.2.4, and possibly other versions, allows inactive windows to launch dialog boxes, which can allow remote attackers to spoof the dialog boxes from web sites in other windows, aka the "Dialog Box Spoofing Vulnerability," a different vulnerability than CVE-2004-1314.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/10/2021
The dialog box spoofing vulnerability in Apple Safari browsers represents a significant security flaw that emerged in versions 1.x through 1.2.4, with potential impacts extending to other iterations within this timeframe. This vulnerability specifically targets the browser's handling of dialog boxes and window management mechanisms, creating a scenario where malicious actors can exploit the inconsistent behavior of inactive browser windows to manipulate user interfaces in ways that compromise security and user trust.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from Safari's improper handling of dialog box generation when windows are not actively in focus or user interaction. When a web page in an inactive window attempts to display a dialog box, the browser fails to properly validate or isolate the dialog box's origin and appearance, allowing it to be rendered with misleading characteristics. This flaw operates at the user interface level rather than the network or application layer, making it particularly insidious because it can deceive users into believing they are interacting with legitimate browser components when they are actually encountering spoofed interfaces.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability enables remote attackers to execute sophisticated social engineering attacks by creating convincing fake dialog boxes that appear to originate from different websites or browser components. An attacker could craft a malicious web page that, when loaded in a background window, generates a dialog box mimicking the browser's own security warnings or system alerts. This spoofing capability directly undermines user confidence in the browser's security interface and can lead to unauthorized actions being taken by users who believe they are interacting with legitimate security prompts.
The vulnerability's classification aligns with CWE-611, which addresses improper access control in web applications, and relates to broader concepts of user interface security and spoofing attacks. This weakness creates opportunities for attackers to leverage the trust users place in browser interface elements, potentially leading to credential theft, unauthorized transactions, or other malicious activities. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this under privilege escalation and user interface deception techniques, where adversaries manipulate the user's perception of system state to gain unauthorized access or control.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require both immediate browser updates and user education about the risks of interacting with unexpected dialog boxes. Apple would need to implement proper isolation mechanisms between active and inactive window dialog box handling, ensuring that dialog boxes can only be generated from the window that initiated them. Users should be trained to verify the legitimacy of dialog boxes before taking any action, and organizations should consider implementing browser security policies that restrict potentially dangerous JavaScript dialog box functionality. Additionally, the vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper window management in browser security architectures and highlights the need for comprehensive security testing of user interface components alongside traditional code-level vulnerabilities.