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SafariWeb browser · Apple

CVE-2008-3623

HIGH · 9.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2008-11-17
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 3.1.2 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
Heap-based buffer overflow in CoreGraphics in Apple Safari before 3.2 on Windows, in iPhone OS 1.0 through 2.2.1, and in iPhone OS for iPod touch 1.1 through 2.2.1 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (application crash) via a crafted image, related to improper handling of color spaces.

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 in CoreGraphics image processing when handling color spaces in crafted images, allowing remote code execution or denial of service. Affects Safari on Windows prior to 3.2 and iPhone OS/iPod touch 1.0-2.2.1.

MitigationUpgrade Safari to version 3.2 or later on Windows; upgrade iPhone OS/iPod touch to version 2.3 or later. Avoid opening untrusted or unexpected images from unknown sources until patches are applied.

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:all versions<= 3.1.2= 0.8= 0.9= 1.0= 1.0.3= 1.1= 1.1.1= 1.2= 1.2.1= 1.2.2= 1.2.3

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. Check Safari version on Windows
    Open Safari, go to Help menu and select About Safari, or check the version in Programs and Features. Compare the version number to the affected range.
    Affected if Version is 3.1.2 or earlier, or matches any of these specific versions: 0.8, 0.9, 1.0, 1.0.3, 1.1, 1.1.1, 1.2, 1.2.1, 1.2.2, 1.2.3, or any version less than or equal to 3.1.2
  2. Check iPhone or iPod touch OS version
    On the device, go to Settings > General > About and check the Version field. Compare the OS version to the affected range.
    Affected if Version is 1.0 through 2.2.1 inclusive (any version from 1.0 up to and including 2.2.1)
  3. Verify the application is Safari
    Confirm the vulnerable browser being used is Apple Safari on Windows, or the native browser on iPhone OS or iPod touch.
    Affected if The browser is Safari on Windows or the native iPhone/iPod touch browser, and the version falls within the affected ranges above

You are affected if Safari on Windows is version 3.1.2 or earlier, or if iPhone OS/iPod touch is version 2.2.1 or earlier.

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 3.1.2
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Safari to version 3.2 or later on Windows; upgrade iPhone OS/iPod touch to version 2.3 or later. Avoid opening untrusted or unexpected images from unknown sources until patches are applied.

Recommended fix High confidence

Safari 3.2 or later (note: Safari 3.x is obsolete; users should upgrade to modern Safari versions for ongoing security support)

  1. 1. Check the current Safari version by clicking Safari > About Safari
  2. 2. If the version is earlier than Safari 3.2, download and install Safari 3.2 or later from Apple's support site
  3. 3. After installation, verify the version by checking Safari > About Safari to confirm the update was successful
  4. 4. Ensure the system meets the minimum requirements for Safari 3.2 (Windows XP SP2 or later, or Mac OS X 10.4.11 or later)
  5. 5. After upgrading, test that Safari functions normally with your regular workflows
Caveat Safari 3.2 is from 2008 and no longer supported; upgrading to modern Safari may require newer OS versions and may change browser behavior or remove support for legacy web standards

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

Fix this in Safari Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
5.0 hours of engineering $860
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Scan for this in your stack

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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-2008-3623 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