CVE-2010-1402 in Safari
Summary
by MITRE
Double 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 an event listener in an SVG document, related to duplicate event listeners, a timer, and an AnimateTransform object.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/22/2025
The CVE-2010-1402 vulnerability represents a critical double free memory corruption issue within WebKit's implementation in Apple Safari browsers across multiple operating systems. This flaw manifests in the handling of event listeners within Scalable Vector Graphics documents, specifically when processing duplicate event listeners combined with timers and AnimateTransform objects. The vulnerability affects Safari versions prior to 5.0 on Mac OS X 10.5 through 10.6, Windows platforms, and versions prior to 4.1 on Mac OS X 10.4, making it a widespread issue across Apple's browser ecosystem during that timeframe. The double free condition occurs when the browser's memory management system attempts to free the same memory block twice, creating a potential exploitation vector for remote code execution.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability leverages the specific interaction between SVG event handling mechanisms and WebKit's memory management routines. When an SVG document contains duplicate event listeners associated with AnimateTransform objects and timers, the browser's processing logic can trigger a scenario where a memory allocation is freed twice, leading to heap corruption. This memory corruption can be manipulated by attackers to overwrite critical memory locations, potentially allowing arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the running browser process. The vulnerability's exploitability is enhanced by the fact that it can be triggered through web content without requiring user interaction beyond visiting a malicious website, making it particularly dangerous in phishing attacks or drive-by download scenarios.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability presents significant security risks to organizations relying on Apple Safari browsers for web browsing activities. The potential for remote code execution means that attackers could gain full control over affected systems, potentially leading to data breaches, system compromise, or further lateral movement within network environments. The denial of service aspect also poses operational challenges, as application crashes could disrupt business operations and user productivity. The vulnerability's presence across multiple operating systems and Safari versions indicates that organizations needed comprehensive patch management strategies to address the issue effectively. Security teams faced the challenge of identifying affected systems and implementing timely remediation across diverse computing environments.
Organizations should prioritize immediate patching of affected Safari versions to mitigate this vulnerability, following Apple's security advisories and release notes for the relevant updates. The mitigation strategy should include comprehensive browser inventory management to identify all affected systems across different operating environments. Additionally, network security controls such as web application firewalls and content filtering solutions can provide additional defense-in-depth layers to prevent exploitation attempts. Security monitoring should focus on detecting anomalous browser behavior or unusual memory allocation patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-459, which describes incomplete cleanup issues in software systems, and corresponds to attack techniques in the ATT&CK framework related to exploitation of memory corruption vulnerabilities. The incident underscores the importance of maintaining up-to-date browser security patches and implementing robust vulnerability management processes to prevent similar issues from compromising organizational security postures.