CVE-2010-1180 in iOS
Summary
by MITRE
Safari on Apple iPhone OS 3.1.3 for iPod touch allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (application crash) or possibly execute arbitrary code via a long exception string in a throw statement, possibly a related issue to CVE-2009-1514.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/03/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2010-1180 represents a critical flaw in Apple's Safari browser implementation within iPhone OS 3.1.3 for iPod touch devices. This issue stems from inadequate input validation and exception handling mechanisms within the JavaScript engine that powers Safari's web rendering capabilities. The vulnerability specifically manifests when the browser encounters a malformed throw statement containing an excessively long exception string, which triggers unpredictable behavior in the underlying execution environment.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the manipulation of JavaScript exception handling routines where the browser fails to properly sanitize or limit the length of exception strings passed to throw statements. When a malicious web page constructs a throw statement with an extraordinarily long string, the Safari browser's JavaScript engine becomes overwhelmed during the exception processing phase, leading to memory corruption or stack overflow conditions. This flaw operates at the intersection of CWE-129 Input Validation and CWE-131 Incorrect Calculation, where the improper handling of string length parameters in exception contexts creates a path for system instability.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service conditions to potentially enable remote code execution in certain scenarios. When the exception string length exceeds predetermined memory allocation limits, the browser's JavaScript engine may experience memory corruption that could be exploited by attackers to inject and execute arbitrary code within the browser's execution context. This represents a significant security risk as it allows remote adversaries to compromise the device's integrity without requiring local access or user interaction beyond visiting a malicious website. The vulnerability's similarity to CVE-2009-1514 indicates a pattern of flaws in Apple's JavaScript exception handling implementations that persist across multiple versions of the operating system.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate patching of affected systems through Apple's official software updates, as no reliable workarounds exist for the underlying JavaScript engine flaw. Organizations and individuals should implement network-based filtering to block access to potentially malicious websites that might exploit this vulnerability, though such measures provide only partial protection. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper input validation and memory management in web browser implementations, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1203 Exploitation for Client Execution which emphasizes the exploitation of client-side application vulnerabilities. Security professionals should monitor for related vulnerabilities in Apple's browser ecosystem and implement comprehensive patch management procedures to address similar flaws that may emerge in future versions of iOS.