CVE-2010-3824 in Safari
Summary
by MITRE
Use-after-free vulnerability in WebKit in Apple Safari before 5.0.3 on Mac OS X 10.5 through 10.6 and Windows, and before 4.1.3 on Mac OS X 10.4, allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (application crash) via vectors involving SVG use elements.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/20/2025
The CVE-2010-3824 vulnerability represents a critical use-after-free flaw within WebKit's SVG processing engine that affected Apple Safari browsers across multiple operating systems. This vulnerability resides in the way Safari handles SVG use elements, which are fundamental components in Scalable Vector Graphics markup language used for creating scalable graphics on web pages. The flaw occurs when the browser attempts to free memory resources that are still referenced by active code, creating a dangerous condition where malicious actors can manipulate the memory state to execute arbitrary code. The vulnerability specifically impacts Safari versions prior to 5.0.3 on Mac OS X 10.5 through 10.6 and Windows platforms, as well as versions before 4.1.3 on Mac OS X 10.4, making it a widespread issue affecting numerous users across different operating environments. This type of vulnerability falls under the CWE-416 category of Use After Free, which is classified as a critical memory safety issue in software development practices.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability involves crafting malicious SVG content that contains specially constructed use elements designed to trigger the memory management error during rendering. When Safari processes such malformed SVG content, the WebKit engine encounters a scenario where it attempts to free memory that is still being referenced by other parts of the rendering process. This memory corruption creates an opportunity for attackers to inject and execute malicious code within the browser's memory space. The vulnerability can be leveraged remotely through web pages that contain the crafted SVG content, making it particularly dangerous as users can be exploited simply by visiting compromised websites. The attack vector specifically targets the SVG use element processing within WebKit, where the browser's rendering engine fails to properly track reference counts for dynamically allocated memory structures.
The operational impact of CVE-2010-3824 extends beyond simple application crashes to include full remote code execution capabilities, making it a severe threat to user security and system integrity. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to gain complete control over affected systems, potentially leading to data theft, system compromise, or deployment of additional malware. The vulnerability affects users across different operating systems and Safari versions, creating a broad attack surface that makes it particularly dangerous for organizations with diverse computing environments. The use-after-free condition can result in unpredictable behavior including application crashes, system instability, and potential privilege escalation. This vulnerability directly maps to several ATT&CK techniques including T1059 for command and scripting interpreter and T1068 for exploit for privilege escalation, as the memory corruption can be used to execute malicious payloads with elevated privileges.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2010-3824 primarily focus on immediate patching and browser updates to ensure users are protected against exploitation attempts. Apple released Safari updates addressing this vulnerability in versions 5.0.3 for Mac OS X 10.5 through 10.6 and Windows, as well as 4.1.3 for Mac OS X 10.4. Organizations should implement comprehensive patch management procedures to ensure all affected systems receive updates promptly. Additional protective measures include implementing web content filtering solutions that can detect and block malicious SVG content, deploying sandboxing technologies to limit the impact of successful exploitation attempts, and monitoring network traffic for suspicious SVG-related activity. Browser security configurations should be hardened by disabling unnecessary SVG processing capabilities when not required, and implementing strict content security policies to prevent execution of untrusted SVG content. The vulnerability highlights the importance of memory safety practices in browser engine development and underscores the need for regular security audits of core rendering components to prevent similar issues from emerging in the future.