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SafariWeb browser · Apple

CVE-2007-3944

HIGH · 9.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2007-07-23
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 1.0.0 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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 · unedited
Multiple heap-based buffer overflows in the Perl Compatible Regular Expressions (PCRE) library in the JavaScript engine in WebKit in Apple Safari 3 Beta before Update 3.0.3, and iPhone before 1.0.1, allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via certain JavaScript regular expressions. NOTE: this issue was originally reported only for MobileSafari on the iPhone. NOTE: it is not clear whether this stems from an issue in the original distribution of PCRE, which might already have a separate CVE identifier.

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 · high confidence

Heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability in the PCRE (Perl Compatible Regular Expressions) library embedded in WebKit's JavaScript engine, affecting Safari 3 Beta and iPhone pre-1.0.1. Remote attackers can achieve arbitrary code execution through maliciously crafted JavaScript regular expressions that trigger overflows in heap memory allocation during regex processing.

MitigationUpgrade to Safari 3 Beta Update 3.0.3 or later, or iPhone OS 1.0.1 or later. For legacy systems, disable JavaScript or restrict to trusted sites only.

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
SafariWeb browser
Affected:= 3.0
WebkitWeb browser
Affected:all versions
Iphone OsOperating system
Affected:<= 1.0.0

CVSS 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
M
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:N/AC:M/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify Safari version
    On Mac: Safari menu > About Safari. On Windows: Help > About Safari. Check if version is exactly 3.0.
    Affected if Version shows 3.0 exactly (not 3.0.3 or later)
  2. Identify iPhone OS version
    On iPhone: Settings > General > About. Check the 'Version' field.
    Affected if Version is 1.0.0 or earlier (1.0, 1.0.0)
  3. Determine if WebKit JavaScript engine is in use
    Check application documentation or system info to confirm the application uses WebKit for JavaScript rendering.
    Affected if Application uses WebKit for JavaScript processing (affects all versions)
  4. Verify JavaScript is enabled
    In Safari: Preferences > Security > Enable JavaScript. In iPhone: Settings > Safari > JavaScript.
    Affected if JavaScript is currently enabled - this is required for the exploit to trigger
  5. Check for malicious regex exposure
    Review browser network logs or use a JavaScript debugger to inspect regex patterns being executed by web pages.
    Affected if Untrusted websites can execute JavaScript with crafted regex patterns

User is affected if using Safari 3.0, iPhone OS <= 1.0.0, or any WebKit-based browser WITH JavaScript enabled, where untrusted sites can execute JavaScript regex.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 1.0.0
Interim mitigation

Upgrade to Safari 3 Beta Update 3.0.3 or later, or iPhone OS 1.0.1 or later. For legacy systems, disable JavaScript or restrict to trusted sites only.

Recommended fix High confidence

Safari 3.0.3 (or later stable release), iPhone OS 1.0.1 (or later)

  1. Upgrade Safari to version 3.0.3 or later to obtain the patched WebKit/JavaScript engine
  2. If targeting WebKit directly, upgrade to a version that includes the PCRE library fix (post-July 2007 releases)
  3. For iPhone OS, upgrade to version 1.0.1 or later
Caveat These are very old software versions from 2007; upgrading to modern versions may require significant application changes and could break legacy functionality

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Safari Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,390
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,224.

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2007-3944 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

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.

What belongs here
  • 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