CVE-2010-1771 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 involving fonts.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/30/2025
This vulnerability represents a critical use-after-free condition within WebKit's font handling mechanisms in Apple Safari browsers across multiple operating system versions. The flaw occurs when the browser processes font resources in a manner that leaves memory references accessible after the associated memory has been freed, creating opportunities for malicious code execution through carefully crafted font files. 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, demonstrating the widespread impact across different operating system families and browser versions.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves WebKit's font processing pipeline where memory allocated for font data structures becomes prematurely freed while still being referenced by subsequent operations. When an attacker crafts malicious font files that exploit this memory management flaw, the browser's memory management system can be manipulated to execute arbitrary code or cause crashes. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-416, which specifically addresses use-after-free conditions where memory is accessed after it has been freed, making it a prime target for exploitation in browser environments where memory management is critical.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple application crashes to potentially enable remote code execution on compromised systems. Attackers can leverage this weakness through web-based attacks by hosting malicious font files on compromised websites or through email attachments that trigger font rendering in Safari. The vulnerability's exploitation potential is heightened by the fact that font rendering is a common browser operation that occurs automatically when users visit web pages, making it difficult to defend against without proper browser updates. This aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter, as successful exploitation could enable attackers to execute arbitrary commands on affected systems.
The remediation approach for this vulnerability requires immediate deployment of security patches from Apple that address the memory management issues in WebKit's font handling code. System administrators should prioritize updating Safari browsers to versions 5.0 or later on Mac OS X 10.5 through 10.6 and Windows platforms, and version 4.1 or later on Mac OS X 10.4 systems. Additionally, organizations should implement browser hardening measures including restricting font loading from untrusted sources and employing sandboxing techniques that limit the potential impact of successful exploitation attempts. Network-based defenses such as web application firewalls and content filtering systems can provide additional layers of protection by blocking access to known malicious font resources and monitoring for suspicious font-related requests that might indicate exploitation attempts.