CVE-2010-1784 in Safari
Summary
by MITRE
The counters functionality in the Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) implementation in WebKit in Apple Safari before 5.0.1 on Mac OS X 10.5 through 10.6 and Windows, and before 4.1.1 on Mac OS X 10.4; and webkitgtk before 1.2.6; allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (memory corruption and application crash) via a crafted HTML document.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/21/2021
The vulnerability described in CVE-2010-1784 represents a critical memory corruption flaw within the CSS counter implementation of WebKit, the rendering engine powering Apple Safari and various webkitgtk-based browsers. This issue affects multiple platform versions including Mac OS X 10.5 through 10.6, Windows systems, and older Mac OS X 10.4 installations. The vulnerability stems from improper handling of CSS counter properties during HTML document parsing, creating a pathway for remote code execution or denial of service attacks. The flaw specifically manifests when the browser processes specially crafted HTML documents containing malformed CSS counter declarations, leading to unpredictable memory behavior that can be exploited by malicious actors.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-121, which describes heap-based buffer overflow conditions, and CWE-125, representing out-of-bounds read errors. The flaw operates through a classic memory corruption vector where the CSS counter processing code fails to properly validate input parameters or bounds checking when handling complex CSS counter declarations. When a malicious HTML document contains crafted counter values or nested counter constructs, the WebKit engine's memory management system becomes corrupted, potentially allowing attackers to overwrite critical memory locations or manipulate program execution flow. This vulnerability demonstrates the inherent complexity of CSS parsing engines and how seemingly benign styling features can become attack surfaces when proper input validation is absent.
The operational impact of CVE-2010-1784 extends beyond simple application crashes to potentially enable full remote code execution capabilities. Attackers can craft HTML documents that, when loaded in affected browsers, trigger memory corruption leading to arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the browser process. This makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous in environments where users might encounter malicious websites or phishing content. The vulnerability affects a wide range of users across multiple operating systems and browser versions, with the impact being most severe on older Mac OS X versions and Windows installations that had not received security updates. The denial of service aspect also creates a significant availability risk, as users could be forced to restart their browsers or systems repeatedly through malicious content.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate patching of affected systems, with Apple releasing Safari updates to version 5.0.1 for Mac OS X 10.5 through 10.6 and 4.1.1 for Mac OS X 10.4. Organizations should implement browser security policies that restrict access to untrusted websites and ensure all systems receive timely security updates. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of input validation in web rendering engines, as proper bounds checking and parameter validation in CSS counter processing could have prevented the memory corruption. Security professionals should monitor for exploit attempts targeting this vulnerability and consider implementing web application firewalls or content filtering solutions to block malicious HTML content. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under T1203, which covers exploitation for execution, and T1499, representing network infiltration through web-based attacks, making it a critical target for both defensive and offensive security operations.