CVE-2010-0041 in Safari
Summary
by MITRE
ImageIO in Apple Safari before 4.0.5 and iTunes before 9.1 on Windows does not ensure that memory access is associated with initialized memory, which allows remote attackers to obtain potentially sensitive information from process memory via a crafted BMP image.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/02/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2010-0041 represents a critical memory safety issue within Apple Safari's ImageIO framework and iTunes on Windows platforms. This flaw exists in versions prior to Safari 4.0.5 and iTunes 9.1, where the software fails to properly validate memory access patterns when processing bitmap image files. The core technical issue stems from improper handling of uninitialized memory regions during image decoding operations, creating a potential information disclosure vulnerability that could be exploited remotely.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the ImageIO component's failure to ensure that memory accesses are properly associated with initialized memory areas when parsing BMP image files. When a maliciously crafted BMP image is processed, the software may attempt to read from memory locations that have not been properly initialized or allocated, potentially exposing sensitive data that resides in those memory regions. This type of vulnerability falls under the CWE-125 category of "Out-of-bounds Read" and specifically relates to improper memory management practices that can lead to information leakage. The flaw operates at the intersection of memory safety and image processing, where the image parser does not adequately validate the memory state before accessing potentially uninitialized data structures.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability enables remote attackers to potentially extract sensitive information from process memory through carefully constructed BMP images. The attack vector is particularly concerning as it requires no user interaction beyond viewing or processing the malicious image file, making it a significant threat in web browsing and media processing contexts. The information that could be exposed includes session tokens, personal data, application state information, or other sensitive memory contents that might be present in the affected processes. This vulnerability directly impacts the confidentiality aspect of the CIA triad and can be leveraged in conjunction with other attack techniques to escalate privileges or gain deeper access to systems.
The mitigation strategies for CVE-2010-0041 primarily involve updating to the patched versions of Safari 4.0.5 and iTunes 9.1, which address the memory access validation issues in the ImageIO framework. System administrators should implement comprehensive patch management procedures to ensure all affected systems are updated promptly. Additionally, network security measures such as web application firewalls and content filtering systems can help prevent the delivery of malicious BMP files to vulnerable systems. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper memory management practices in image processing libraries and highlights the need for thorough input validation and memory safety checks in multimedia handling components. Organizations should also consider implementing network segmentation and access controls to limit the potential impact of such information disclosure vulnerabilities, as outlined in the attack patterns documented in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under the information gathering and credential access domains.