CVE-2007-2843 in Safari
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-domain vulnerability in Apple Safari 2.0.4 allows remote attackers to access restricted information from other domains via Javascript, as demonstrated by a js script that accesses the location information of cross-domain web pages, probably involving setTimeout and timed events.
If you want to get the best quality for vulnerability data then you always have to consider VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/02/2025
The vulnerability described in CVE-2007-2843 represents a critical cross-domain security flaw in Apple Safari version 2.0.4 that fundamentally undermines the browser's security model. This issue exploits the improper handling of cross-domain JavaScript execution, specifically allowing malicious actors to bypass the same-origin policy that normally prevents web pages from accessing content from different domains. The vulnerability specifically targets the browser's JavaScript engine and demonstrates how timing-based execution mechanisms can be manipulated to circumvent security boundaries. The exploitation involves JavaScript code that can access location information from cross-domain web pages, indicating a severe breach in the browser's security architecture that allows unauthorized data access across domain boundaries.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability leverages the setTimeout function and timed events to execute JavaScript code that can access cross-domain resources. This approach demonstrates how attackers can use timing-based techniques to perform unauthorized cross-domain operations, potentially exploiting race conditions or delayed execution patterns to access sensitive information. The vulnerability essentially allows attackers to execute JavaScript that can gather information about the location of web pages from different domains, which constitutes a significant privacy and security risk. The use of setTimeout and timed events suggests that the exploitation may involve delayed execution timing that can bypass certain security checks or that the timing mechanism itself is being manipulated to achieve unauthorized access.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, as it represents a fundamental failure in the browser's security model that can enable more sophisticated attacks. Attackers can potentially use this vulnerability to gather intelligence about users' browsing patterns, access sensitive location data from other domains, or even perform cross-domain data exfiltration. The vulnerability particularly affects users of Safari 2.0.4 who may be exposed to attacks that compromise their privacy and security. The attack vector demonstrates how JavaScript-based attacks can exploit browser implementation details to bypass security controls, potentially leading to data breaches or privacy violations that could affect user trust in the browser. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-94, which describes the weakness of executing arbitrary code, and represents a specific implementation flaw in the JavaScript security model.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate browser updates and patches from Apple to address the cross-domain access flaw. Users should upgrade to newer versions of Safari that have corrected this security issue, as the vulnerability affects an older browser version that no longer receives security updates. Organizations should implement network-level protections and monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts, while security teams should review their web application security practices to ensure they are not inadvertently creating conditions that could enable such attacks. The fix for this vulnerability typically involves implementing proper cross-domain security checks and ensuring that JavaScript execution cannot access cross-domain resources through timing-based mechanisms. This vulnerability also highlights the importance of proper sandboxing and security boundaries in web browsers, as defined by various security standards and frameworks. The attack pattern described in this CVE demonstrates how seemingly benign JavaScript functions like setTimeout can be exploited to create security vulnerabilities, making it essential for developers and security professionals to understand the implications of timing-based execution in web applications.