CVE-2008-2307 in Safari
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in WebKit in Apple Safari before 3.1.2, as distributed in Mac OS X before 10.5.4, and standalone for Windows and Mac OS X 10.4, allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (application crash) or execute arbitrary code via vectors involving JavaScript arrays that trigger memory corruption.
Once again VulDB remains the best source for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/25/2024
This vulnerability resides within the WebKit rendering engine that powers Apple Safari browser versions prior to 3.1.2. The issue manifests as a memory corruption flaw that can be exploited through malicious JavaScript arrays, representing a critical security weakness in the browser's handling of web content. The vulnerability affects multiple operating systems including Mac OS X versions before 10.5.4 and standalone Windows implementations, making it particularly widespread across Apple's ecosystem. The unspecified nature of the vulnerability suggests it involves complex memory management issues that could be triggered through specific JavaScript array operations.
The technical flaw stems from improper memory handling when processing JavaScript arrays within the WebKit engine. When malicious JavaScript code manipulates arrays in specific ways, it can cause memory corruption that leads to application instability. This memory corruption vulnerability falls under CWE-122, which describes improper restriction of operations within a memory buffer, and more specifically aligns with CWE-125, which covers out-of-bounds read conditions. The vulnerability allows attackers to craft JavaScript code that when executed in Safari, triggers memory allocation errors that can result in either application crashes or more severe exploitation opportunities.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant as it provides remote attackers with the capability to either disrupt service through denial of service attacks or potentially execute arbitrary code on affected systems. When the application crashes due to memory corruption, users experience service interruption that can be exploited for persistent denial of service attacks. More critically, the memory corruption vulnerability could be leveraged to execute arbitrary code, enabling attackers to gain unauthorized access to affected systems. This vulnerability directly maps to ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for JavaScript execution and T1499.004 for denial of service through application crash. The attack surface is particularly concerning given Safari's widespread use and the fact that the vulnerability affects both Windows and Mac OS X platforms.
Mitigation strategies should focus on immediate patching of affected Safari versions to 3.1.2 or later, which contains the necessary memory management fixes. System administrators should implement browser security policies that restrict potentially malicious JavaScript execution and consider deploying web application firewalls that can detect and block suspicious array manipulation patterns. Additionally, users should be educated about the risks of visiting untrusted websites and downloading unknown content that could contain malicious JavaScript. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of regular security updates and proper memory management practices in browser engines, as it represents a classic buffer overflow scenario that could be exploited for privilege escalation or persistent system compromise. Organizations should also consider implementing sandboxing mechanisms for web browsers and monitoring for unusual application crash patterns that could indicate exploitation attempts.