dbcve.org
SafariWeb browser · Apple

CVE-2008-4231

HIGH · 9.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2008-11-25
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
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
Safari in Apple iPhone OS 1.0 through 2.1 and iPhone OS for iPod touch 1.1 through 2.1 does not properly handle HTML TABLE elements, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (memory corruption and application crash) via a crafted HTML document.

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

Memory corruption vulnerability in Safari's HTML TABLE element parsing engine on iPhone OS 1.0-2.1 and iPod touch 1.1-2.1 allows remote code execution or denial of service via crafted malicious HTML documents.

MitigationUpdate iOS to a supported version (2.2 or later) which contains the patch; avoid opening untrusted HTML content until patched.

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
Iphone OsOperating system
Affected:= 1.0= 1.0.1= 1.0.2= 1.1= 1.1.1= 1.1.2= 1.1.3= 1.1.4= 1.1.5= 2.0= 2.0.1= 2.0.2

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 the iOS version
    Go to Settings > General > About on the iPhone or iPod touch and check the 'Version' field
    Affected if The version listed is any of the following: 1.0, 1.0.1, 1.0.2, 1.1, 1.1.1, 1.1.2, 1.1.3, 1.1.4, 1.1.5, 2.0, 2.0.1, 2.0.2, or 2.1
  2. Identify the device model
    Check the model number or marketing name of the Apple mobile device (iPhone or iPod touch)
    Affected if The device is running any of the affected iOS versions listed above (iPhone OS 1.0-2.1 or iPod touch 1.1-2.1)
  3. Confirm Safari browser usage
    Determine if the built-in Safari browser is used to render or preview HTML content, emails, or web pages on the device
    Affected if Safari is used to open untrusted or crafted HTML documents while running an affected iOS version

The device is affected if it runs iPhone OS 1.0 through 2.1 or iPod touch 1.1 through 2.1 and uses Safari to process HTML content.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Update iOS to a supported version (2.2 or later) which contains the patch; avoid opening untrusted HTML content until patched.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Upgrade to iOS 3.0 or later (or the latest iOS version supported by your specific iPhone/iPod touch hardware)

  1. 1. Backup all important data from the iPhone or iPod touch to ensure no data loss during the upgrade process.
  2. 2. Connect the device to a computer with iTunes installed.
  3. 3. Check for available iOS updates by clicking 'Check for Update' in iTunes.
  4. 4. Download and install the latest available iOS version for your device from Apple (iOS 3.0 or later, as the vulnerability affects iOS 2.1 and below).
  5. 5. After upgrading, verify that Safari no longer processes the malicious HTML table payload that triggered the vulnerability.
Caveat Very old hardware may not support newer iOS versions beyond a certain point; legacy applications designed for iPhone OS 1.x-2.x may be incompatible with iOS 3.0+

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

Fix this in Safari Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation16.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
36.0 hours of engineering $6,400
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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-2008-4231 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