ZDI-09-034: Apple Safari SVG Set.targetElement() Memory Corruption Vulnerability http://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-09-034 June 8, 2009 -- CVE ID: CVE-2009-1709 -- Affected Vendors: Apple -- Affected Products: Apple Safari -- TippingPoint(TM) IPS Customer Protection: TippingPoint IPS customers have been protected against this vulnerability by Digital Vaccine protection filter ID 6569. For further product information on the TippingPoint IPS, visit: http://www.tippingpoint.com -- Vulnerability Details: This vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on vulnerable installations of Apple Safari. User interaction is required to exploit this vulnerability in that the target must visit a malicious page. The specific flaw exists in the garbage collection of JavaScript set elements in WebCore. When an SVG set object is appended to an SVG marker element that is dereferenced, calls to the targetElement attribute will fail to reference count the marker element. When the set element is appended to another object, subsequent calls to the targetElement attribute will result in a heap corruption which can be leveraged to execute arbitrary code under the context of the current user. -- Vendor Response: Apple has issued an update to correct this vulnerability. More details can be found at: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3613 -- Disclosure Timeline: 2008-11-10 - Vulnerability reported to vendor 2009-06-08 - Coordinated public release of advisory -- Credit: This vulnerability was discovered by: * Anonymous -- About the Zero Day Initiative (ZDI): Established by TippingPoint, The Zero Day Initiative (ZDI) represents a best-of-breed model for rewarding security researchers for responsibly disclosing discovered vulnerabilities. Researchers interested in getting paid for their security research through the ZDI can find more information and sign-up at: http://www.zerodayinitiative.com The ZDI is unique in how the acquired vulnerability information is used. TippingPoint does not re-sell the vulnerability details or any exploit code. Instead, upon notifying the affected product vendor, TippingPoint provides its customers with zero day protection through its intrusion prevention technology. Explicit details regarding the specifics of the vulnerability are not exposed to any parties until an official vendor patch is publicly available. Furthermore, with the altruistic aim of helping to secure a broader user base, TippingPoint provides this vulnerability information confidentially to security vendors (including competitors) who have a vulnerability protection or mitigation product. Our vulnerability disclosure policy is available online at: http://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/disclosure_policy/