CVE-2007-2409 in WebCore
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-domain vulnerability in WebCore on Apple Mac OS X 10.3.9 and 10.4.10 allows remote attackers to obtain sensitive information via a popup window, which is able to read the current URL of the parent window.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/23/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2007-2409 represents a critical cross-domain security flaw within the WebCore rendering engine of Apple Mac OS X versions 10.3.9 and 10.4.10. This issue stems from inadequate implementation of cross-origin resource sharing policies and security boundaries that should normally prevent unauthorized access between different domains. The flaw specifically affects the popup window functionality where malicious actors can exploit the browser's security model to access sensitive information from parent windows. This vulnerability directly violates fundamental web security principles that mandate strict isolation between different domains to prevent information leakage and cross-site attacks.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs through the manipulation of popup windows that are created in a cross-domain context. When a popup window is opened, the WebCore engine fails to properly enforce domain isolation rules, allowing the popup to access and read the current URL of the parent window. This occurs because the security model does not adequately validate the origin of the popup window against the parent window's domain, creating an information disclosure channel that should not exist. The flaw specifically impacts the window.open() API and related popup window creation mechanisms within the browser's JavaScript execution environment, where the security context is not properly maintained across domain boundaries.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure to potentially enable more sophisticated attacks including session hijacking, credential theft, and cross-site request forgery exploitation. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to gather sensitive information about user navigation patterns, access tokens, and potentially sensitive URLs that may contain authentication parameters or session identifiers. This type of information leakage can be particularly dangerous in environments where users access multiple applications or services through a single browser session, as it provides attackers with insights into user behavior and potential attack vectors. The vulnerability affects all web applications running on affected Mac OS X versions and can be exploited through various attack vectors including malicious websites, phishing campaigns, or compromised third-party web content.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate patching of affected systems to the latest available security updates from Apple, as well as implementation of additional security controls. Organizations should ensure that all Mac OS X systems are updated to versions that contain the necessary WebCore security patches. Browser security policies should be reviewed and enhanced to include stricter controls over popup window behavior and cross-domain access. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-200 (Information Exposure) and CWE-352 (Cross-Site Request Forgery) categories, and can be mapped to ATT&CK techniques including T1071.001 (Application Layer Protocol: Web Protocols) and T1566 (Phishing) where attackers might use this vulnerability to enhance their social engineering campaigns. Network administrators should also consider implementing additional monitoring for suspicious popup window behavior and cross-domain access patterns that could indicate exploitation attempts.