CVE-2010-1398 in Safari
Summary
by MITRE
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, does not properly perform ordered list insertions, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (memory corruption and application crash) via a crafted HTML document, related to the insertion of an unspecified element into an editable container and the access of an uninitialized element.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/15/2021
The vulnerability described in CVE-2010-1398 represents a critical memory corruption flaw within Apple Safari's WebKit rendering engine that affected multiple operating system versions. This issue stems from improper handling of ordered list insertions in web documents, creating a pathway for remote code execution and denial of service conditions. The vulnerability specifically manifests when WebKit processes HTML documents containing crafted ordered list elements within editable containers, leading to unpredictable memory behavior and potential system compromise.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in the improper management of uninitialized memory elements during HTML document processing. When Safari encounters a crafted HTML document with specific ordered list insertion patterns, the WebKit engine fails to properly initialize memory structures before accessing them, resulting in memory corruption. This memory corruption can be exploited to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the affected application. The flaw is categorized under CWE-125 as "Uninitialized Memory Read" and relates to improper handling of memory allocation and access patterns within the rendering engine. The vulnerability 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, indicating a widespread impact across Apple's browser ecosystem during that timeframe.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple application crashes to potentially enable full system compromise through remote code execution. Attackers can craft malicious HTML documents that, when loaded in affected Safari versions, trigger the memory corruption exploit. This creates a significant threat vector for phishing attacks, drive-by downloads, and other social engineering campaigns where victims might unknowingly visit compromised websites. The vulnerability's classification under the ATT&CK framework as a code injection technique through web browser exploitation demonstrates its potential for lateral movement and privilege escalation within compromised systems. The memory corruption aspect also makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous as it can lead to unpredictable behavior including application crashes, data corruption, and potentially complete system instability.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate patching of affected Safari versions to the patched releases that address the memory handling issues in WebKit's ordered list processing. System administrators should prioritize updating all affected Mac OS X and Windows systems to the latest Safari versions, specifically targeting the 5.0 release for Mac OS X 10.5 through 10.6 and 4.1 for Mac OS X 10.4. Additionally, organizations should implement web content filtering and sandboxing measures to limit exposure to potentially malicious HTML content. Browser security configurations should be hardened through disabling JavaScript when not required, implementing content security policies, and using security extensions that can detect and block suspicious HTML elements. The vulnerability's remediation aligns with standard security practices for addressing memory safety issues in web rendering engines and demonstrates the importance of regular security updates and vulnerability management processes.