CVE-2010-1405 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 an HTML element that has custom vertical positioning.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/15/2021
The CVE-2010-1405 vulnerability represents a critical use-after-free flaw within Apple Safari's WebKit rendering engine that affected multiple operating system versions. This vulnerability specifically targets the memory management mechanisms within the browser's layout engine, creating a scenario where freed memory locations could be accessed after they had been deallocated. The flaw manifests when processing HTML elements with custom vertical positioning attributes, which triggers improper memory handling during the rendering process. Such vulnerabilities fall under the CWE-416 category of Use After Free, which is classified as a serious memory corruption issue that can lead to arbitrary code execution or system instability.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when Safari encounters HTML elements that utilize custom vertical positioning properties, particularly those that involve complex layout calculations and memory allocation patterns. During the rendering process, WebKit's layout engine allocates memory for positioning calculations and other rendering tasks, but fails to properly manage the lifecycle of these memory segments. When the browser processes certain combinations of CSS positioning properties alongside specific HTML structures, it can lead to a situation where memory that has been freed is subsequently accessed, creating a use-after-free condition. This memory corruption can be leveraged by attackers to inject and execute malicious code within the browser context, as the freed memory may contain sensitive data or pointers that can be manipulated to redirect execution flow.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends across multiple platforms and versions, making it particularly dangerous for widespread exploitation. On Mac OS X versions 10.5 through 10.6, as well as Windows platforms, the vulnerability affects Safari versions prior to 5.0, while on Mac OS X 10.4, the affected versions extend back to before Safari 4.1. This broad compatibility range means that a significant portion of the user base could be compromised, as the vulnerability exists in both desktop operating systems and mobile browsers. The potential consequences include unauthorized code execution, complete browser compromise, and in some cases, full system compromise depending on the execution environment and privilege levels. The vulnerability can be exploited remotely through malicious web content, making it particularly dangerous for users who browse the internet without proper security measures.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2010-1405 primarily focus on immediate patching and system updates to address the underlying memory management issues within WebKit. Organizations should prioritize updating Safari to versions 5.0 for Mac OS X 10.5 through 10.6, 4.1 for Mac OS X 10.4, and corresponding Windows versions. Additionally, implementing browser hardening measures such as sandboxing, memory protection mechanisms, and strict content filtering can provide additional layers of defense against exploitation attempts. Security teams should also consider monitoring for exploitation attempts through network traffic analysis and implementing web application firewalls to block malicious content. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper memory management in browser engines and highlights the need for continuous security testing and code review processes to identify similar issues before they can be exploited by threat actors. This type of vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059 for executing malicious code and T1190 for exploitation through web applications, making it a critical target for both preventive and detective security controls.