CVE-2010-3257 in Safari
Summary
by MITRE
Use-after-free vulnerability in WebKit, as used in Apple Safari before 4.1.3 and 5.0.x before 5.0.3, Google Chrome before 6.0.472.53, and webkitgtk before 1.2.6, allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (application crash) via vectors involving element focus.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/24/2021
The CVE-2010-3257 vulnerability represents a critical use-after-free flaw within the WebKit rendering engine that affected multiple major web browsers including Apple Safari, Google Chrome, and webkitgtk implementations. This vulnerability arises from improper memory management during the handling of HTML element focus operations, creating a scenario where freed memory locations are accessed after being deallocated. The flaw specifically manifests when web content triggers element focus events that lead to memory cleanup processes, but subsequent operations attempt to reference previously freed memory regions. Such conditions create exploitable scenarios that can be leveraged by remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected systems or cause application crashes that result in denial of service conditions.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the WebKit engine's handling of DOM (Document Object Model) elements during focus transitions. When an HTML element receives focus through user interaction or script execution, the rendering engine allocates memory structures to manage the focus state and associated event handlers. However, in certain circumstances involving complex DOM manipulation or nested focus events, the engine fails to properly manage the memory lifecycle, leading to situations where objects are freed from memory but references to them persist in event queues or callback mechanisms. This memory management failure creates a use-after-free condition that can be exploited through carefully crafted web content designed to trigger the specific sequence of operations leading to memory corruption.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to end users and organizations relying on affected browser versions. Attackers can craft malicious web pages that, when loaded in vulnerable browsers, automatically trigger the conditions necessary to exploit the use-after-free vulnerability. The remote execution capability means that users can be compromised simply by visiting malicious websites or clicking on links in phishing emails without any additional user interaction beyond normal browsing behavior. The impact extends beyond individual user compromise to potential large-scale exploitation campaigns targeting specific user groups or organizations, particularly when combined with other vulnerabilities or attack vectors. The vulnerability affects multiple browser implementations, increasing its attack surface and making comprehensive protection more challenging for security teams.
The exploitation of CVE-2010-3257 aligns with several ATT&CK framework techniques including T1203 (Exploitation for Client Execution) and T1059 (Command and Scripting Interpreter) where attackers leverage browser vulnerabilities to execute malicious code. The vulnerability also maps to CWE-416 (Use After Free) which specifically addresses the improper handling of memory that has already been freed. Security professionals should note that this vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of regular browser updates and patch management programs, as the affected versions represent widely used browser implementations that were prevalent in the early 2010s. Organizations should implement network-level protections including web application firewalls and content filtering systems to mitigate exposure while ensuring timely patch deployment. The vulnerability underscores the necessity of maintaining current security practices and the importance of monitoring for similar memory corruption vulnerabilities in modern browser engines that continue to be targets for sophisticated attack campaigns.