CVE-2004-0539
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedThe "Show in Finder" button in the Safari web browser in Mac OS X 10.3.4 and 10.2.8 may execute downloaded applications, which could allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · low confidenceThe 'Show in Finder' button in Safari on Mac OS X 10.3.4 and 10.2.8 could execute downloaded applications instead of merely displaying their location in Finder, allowing arbitrary code execution by remote attackers.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data= 10.2.8= 10.3.4= 10.2.8= 10.3.4CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- Complete
- Integrity
- Complete
- Availability
- Complete
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify Mac OS X versionGo to Apple menu > About This Mac to display the operating system version numberAffected if The version shown is 10.2.8 or 10.3.4 exactly (not a later patch version)
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Confirm Safari is in useCheck if Safari browser is installed and in use (Application folder or ps command)Affected if Safari is the active or default browser on an affected OS version
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Check for downloaded applicationsInspect the ~/Downloads folder or default download location for any downloaded application files (.app)Affected if Any application files exist in download folders on an affected system
A system is affected if it is running exactly Mac OS X 10.2.8 or 10.3.4 and uses Safari to handle downloaded applications with the Show in Finder feature.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
dbcve · scopedAvoid using 'Show in Finder' on downloads from untrusted sources; remove or quarantine suspicious downloaded files; upgrade from these end-of-life operating systems which no longer receive security updates.
Upgrade to a supported macOS version (such as macOS Sonoma 14 or later). For systems that cannot run modern macOS, upgrade to the latest available macOS version the hardware supports.
- 1. Back up all important data from the affected Mac system.
- 2. Obtain a modern version of macOS (the current supported release from Apple).
- 3. Perform a clean install of the newer macOS version, or use Time Machine/Apple's migration tools to transfer data.
- 4. Ensure Safari is updated to the latest version included with the new macOS release.
- 5. After upgrade, verify the "Show in Finder" function works correctly and only reveals files without executing them.
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,664.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2004-0539 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2004-0539 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.
- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data