CVE-2007-3756 in iPhone
Summary
by MITRE
Safari in Apple iPhone 1.1.1, and Safari 3 before Beta Update 3.0.4 on Windows and Mac OS X 10.4 through 10.4.10, allows remote attackers to obtain sensitive information via a crafted web page that identifies the URL of the parent window, even when the parent window is in a different domain.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/30/2019
This vulnerability resides in the web browser component of Apple's Safari browser across multiple platforms including the iPhone 1.1.1 and Windows and Mac OS X versions up to 10.4.10. The issue stems from insufficient cross-domain security controls that permit malicious web pages to access URL information from parent windows even when those windows belong to different domains. This represents a significant information disclosure flaw that directly violates fundamental web security principles and the same-origin policy that governs browser security mechanisms.
The technical flaw manifests through improper handling of window reference properties within the browser's JavaScript execution environment. When a web page attempts to access the location property of a parent window object, the security restrictions that should prevent such access across domain boundaries are inadequately enforced. This allows attackers to construct malicious web pages that can extract sensitive URL information from parent windows, potentially revealing navigation history, session identifiers, or other confidential data that should remain isolated between different security domains.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, as it can enable sophisticated attack vectors including session hijacking, cross-site request forgery exploitation, and targeted phishing attacks. An attacker could craft a page that, when loaded in a user's browser, would reveal the URL of a parent window that might contain sensitive information such as banking URLs, corporate intranet addresses, or other confidential navigation paths. This vulnerability particularly affects users of older Safari versions where the security model was less robust and more susceptible to such cross-domain violations.
From a cybersecurity perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-200, which describes improper information disclosure, and demonstrates weaknesses in the browser's implementation of cross-origin resource sharing and window reference security controls. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this under T1566, specifically targeting credential access through malicious web content. The vulnerability represents a critical gap in the browser's security architecture that allows attackers to bypass fundamental isolation mechanisms designed to prevent unauthorized information access between different web origins.
Mitigation strategies should focus on immediate browser updates to patched versions that properly enforce cross-domain security boundaries. Users should avoid visiting untrusted websites and ensure their Safari installations are current with the latest security patches. Organizations should implement network-level controls to monitor for suspicious web content and consider browser hardening measures including disabling unnecessary JavaScript features. Additionally, security awareness training should emphasize the risks of visiting untrusted websites and the importance of keeping browser software updated to address known vulnerabilities in the web security ecosystem.