CVE-2007-3284 in Safari
Summary
by MITRE
corefoundation.dll in Apple Safari 3.0.1 (552.12.2) for Windows allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) via certain forms that trigger errors related to History, possibly involving multiple form fields with the same name.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/04/2018
The vulnerability described in CVE-2007-3284 represents a denial of service flaw within Apple Safari 3.0.1 for Windows operating systems. This issue specifically targets the corefoundation.dll component which serves as a fundamental framework for various system operations including web browsing functionality. The vulnerability manifests when Safari processes certain web forms that contain errors related to browsing history management, creating a condition where the application becomes unstable and crashes.
The technical mechanism behind this vulnerability involves improper handling of form elements during the web browsing process. When Safari encounters web forms with multiple fields sharing identical names, the corefoundation.dll module fails to properly manage the associated history tracking mechanisms. This particular error condition triggers an unhandled exception within the application's core framework, leading to the browser crashing and terminating the user's browsing session. The flaw specifically affects the interaction between form processing and history management components within the Safari browser architecture.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents a significant risk for users who may encounter malicious web content designed to exploit this specific behavior. Attackers could craft web pages containing specially formatted forms with duplicate field names that would cause Safari to crash when processing the form submission. This denial of service condition effectively prevents users from continuing their browsing session and could be exploited in larger attack campaigns where multiple users are targeted simultaneously. The vulnerability particularly impacts Windows users running Safari 3.0.1, as the issue is specific to that browser version and operating system combination.
Security professionals should note that this vulnerability aligns with CWE-129, which addresses improper validation of input boundaries, and represents a classic example of buffer overflows or memory corruption issues that can lead to application instability. The flaw also demonstrates characteristics consistent with ATT&CK technique T1499.004, which involves network denial of service attacks through application-level exploitation. The vulnerability affects the availability of the Safari browser service and can be classified as a remote code execution risk due to the potential for arbitrary code execution through the crash condition. Organizations should implement immediate mitigation strategies including browser updates, network-level filtering of suspicious content, and user education about avoiding untrusted web forms.
The impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple browser crashes as it represents a broader class of issues affecting web browser security frameworks. The corefoundation.dll component's failure to properly handle form validation scenarios demonstrates the importance of robust input sanitization in web browser implementations. This particular flaw underscores the need for comprehensive testing of form processing logic, particularly in scenarios involving multiple form fields with identical identifiers. Security teams should consider this vulnerability as part of a larger attack surface analysis focusing on web browser components and their interaction with system-level frameworks.
Mitigation efforts should prioritize immediate browser updates to versions that address this specific corefoundation.dll handling issue. System administrators should implement network-level controls to filter potentially malicious web content that might exploit this vulnerability. Additionally, users should be educated about the risks of submitting forms to untrusted websites and the importance of keeping their browsers updated with the latest security patches. The vulnerability also highlights the need for regular security assessments of browser components and their integration with system frameworks, particularly those handling user input and session management. Organizations should monitor for similar vulnerabilities in other browser components and implement proactive security measures to prevent exploitation of related issues.
The technical analysis of CVE-2007-3284 reveals fundamental security gaps in web browser architecture design, particularly in how form processing interacts with system-level components. This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper error handling and input validation in preventing denial of service conditions. Security professionals should consider this issue as part of broader browser security frameworks and implement comprehensive monitoring strategies to detect similar vulnerabilities in other browser components. The flaw serves as a reminder that even seemingly minor implementation details in core system components can create significant security risks when not properly validated and tested.