CVE-2024-40866 in Safari
Summary
by MITRE • 09/17/2024
The issue was addressed with improved UI. This issue is fixed in Safari 18, macOS Sequoia 15. Visiting a malicious website may lead to address bar spoofing.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/10/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-40866 represents a significant security flaw in Apple Safari browser and macOS operating system versions prior to the release of Safari 18 and macOS Sequoia 15. This issue manifests through address bar spoofing techniques that can deceive users into believing they are visiting legitimate websites when in fact they are interacting with malicious content. The vulnerability stems from insufficient user interface validation mechanisms that fail to properly distinguish between genuine and fraudulent web addresses, creating opportunities for attackers to exploit user trust in the browser's visual indicators.
The technical implementation of this flaw involves the manipulation of web page elements that can influence how the address bar displays information to users. Attackers can craft malicious websites that exploit rendering inconsistencies or UI layer vulnerabilities to present misleading address bar content that appears authentic to unsuspecting users. This type of attack directly relates to CWE-601, which addresses URL redirection and spoofing vulnerabilities, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.001 for command and scripting interpreter usage in phishing contexts. The vulnerability specifically targets the user trust model that relies on visual cues from the browser interface, undermining the fundamental security principle of user verification.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple deception to potentially enable more sophisticated attack vectors including credential theft, financial fraud, and data exfiltration. When users are misled by a spoofed address bar, they may unknowingly enter sensitive information into malicious forms or download harmful software that would otherwise be avoided if they recognized the legitimate website boundaries. The attack surface becomes particularly dangerous in environments where users frequently access financial services, corporate portals, or other sensitive systems where such deception could lead to substantial financial or data loss. The vulnerability affects all versions of Safari and macOS prior to the security updates, creating a wide attack surface across various user bases.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability center on immediate software updates to the latest versions of Safari and macOS where the issue has been resolved through enhanced UI validation and address bar rendering mechanisms. Organizations should implement comprehensive security awareness training to educate users about the visual indicators of spoofing attempts and encourage verification of website authenticity through multiple means. Network-level protections including web filtering solutions and browser security extensions can provide additional layers of defense against such attacks. System administrators should also consider implementing browser hardening policies that restrict access to potentially malicious sites and establish monitoring protocols to detect unusual user behavior that might indicate successful spoofing attempts. The fix implemented in Safari 18 and macOS Sequoia 15 addresses the root cause by strengthening the UI validation processes and ensuring proper isolation between legitimate browser functionality and malicious content manipulation.