CVE-2010-1226 in iPhone OS
Summary
by MITRE
The HTTP client functionality in Apple iPhone OS 3.1 on the iPhone 2G and 3.1.3 on the iPhone 3GS allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (Safari, Mail, or Springboard crash) via a crafted innerHTML property of a DIV element, related to a "malformed character" issue.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/04/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2010-1226 represents a critical denial of service flaw within Apple's iPhone OS 3.1 and 3.1.3 implementations. This weakness specifically targets the HTTP client functionality that processes web content through Safari and other applications, creating a scenario where remote attackers can trigger system instability by manipulating HTML elements. The vulnerability manifests when a crafted innerHTML property of a DIV element contains malformed character sequences that the browser's rendering engine cannot properly handle, leading to application crashes and system-wide instability.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the manipulation of HTML content within web pages that are rendered by the iPhone's web browser engine. When Safari processes a maliciously crafted DIV element containing malformed character sequences in its innerHTML property, the underlying rendering engine encounters unexpected input that triggers a buffer overflow or memory corruption condition. This flaw falls under the CWE-129 weakness category, which encompasses issues related to improper handling of input validation, particularly when dealing with malformed or unexpected character sequences in web content processing. The vulnerability specifically impacts the HTML parsing and rendering components of the iOS web framework, where character encoding and parsing routines fail to properly sanitize or validate incoming HTML attributes.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple application crashes to potentially affect the entire user experience and system stability. When the Safari browser or other applications like Mail crash due to this flaw, users experience immediate disruption to their mobile internet browsing and email functionality. The Springboard crash component indicates that the issue can propagate beyond individual applications to affect the core operating system interface, potentially requiring device restarts and data loss. This vulnerability represents a significant concern for mobile device security as it allows remote attackers to compromise device availability without requiring local access or authentication. The attack vector is particularly dangerous because it can be delivered through standard web browsing activities, making it accessible to attackers who simply need to host malicious content on a web server.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on both immediate defensive measures and long-term architectural improvements. Users should be advised to avoid visiting untrusted websites and to keep their devices updated with the latest security patches from Apple, though the specific patch for this vulnerability was released as part of iOS updates. System administrators should implement web filtering solutions that can detect and block suspicious HTML content containing malformed character sequences. From a security architecture perspective, this vulnerability highlights the importance of robust input validation and sanitization within web rendering engines, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1059.006 for command and scripting interpreter. The remediation approach should emphasize the implementation of strict HTML parsing rules and character encoding validation to prevent malformed input from reaching the core rendering components of mobile browsers. Organizations should also consider implementing network-based intrusion detection systems that can identify and block traffic patterns associated with known exploit payloads for this specific vulnerability.