CVE-2010-1397 in Safari
Summary
by MITRE
Use-after-free vulnerability in WebKit in Apple Safari before 5.0 on Mac OS X 10.5 through 10.6 and Windows, and before 4.1 on Mac OS X 10.4, allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (application crash) via vectors related to a layout change during selection rendering and the DOCUMENT_POSITION_DISCONNECTED attribute in a container of an unspecified type.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/15/2021
The CVE-2010-1397 vulnerability represents a critical use-after-free flaw within the WebKit rendering engine that powers Apple Safari browser across multiple operating systems. This vulnerability specifically affects Safari versions prior to 5.0 on Mac OS X 10.5 through 10.6 and Windows platforms, as well as versions before 4.1 on Mac OS X 10.4. The flaw occurs during the processing of layout changes in conjunction with selection rendering operations, creating a scenario where memory that has been freed is subsequently accessed, leading to unpredictable behavior and potential exploitation.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability stems from improper memory management during document object interactions, particularly when handling the DOCUMENT_POSITION_DISCONNECTED attribute within container elements of unspecified types. This attribute indicates when a node is disconnected from the document tree, but the WebKit engine fails to properly validate memory references during layout recalculations that occur while selections are being rendered. The vulnerability manifests when the browser attempts to access memory that has already been deallocated, creating a use-after-free condition that can be leveraged by remote attackers.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple application crashes to potentially enable remote code execution on affected systems. Attackers can craft malicious web pages that trigger the specific sequence of events leading to memory corruption, allowing them to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the browser process. This represents a significant threat to user security, as it can be exploited through web-based attacks without requiring any local user interaction beyond visiting a compromised website. The vulnerability affects a broad range of systems due to the widespread use of Safari across Apple platforms and the prevalence of web-based attacks targeting browser rendering engines.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2010-1397 focus primarily on immediate patching and system updates to the latest Safari versions that contain the necessary memory management fixes. Organizations should implement comprehensive browser update policies to ensure all affected systems receive security patches promptly. Additional protective measures include deploying web application firewalls that can detect and block malicious content, implementing browser hardening configurations that limit the execution of potentially dangerous JavaScript operations, and maintaining network monitoring to detect exploitation attempts. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-416, which specifically addresses use-after-free conditions, and represents a typical example of how improper memory management in complex rendering engines can create critical security risks. From an attacker perspective, this vulnerability maps to ATT&CK technique T1203, which involves the exploitation of software vulnerabilities to gain execution privileges, making it a significant target for cyber threat actors seeking to compromise user systems through web-based attacks.