dbcve.org
SafariWeb browser · Apple

CVE-2008-4232

MEDIUM · 5.0 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 →
59/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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 2.0 through 2.1 and iPhone OS for iPod touch 2.1 through 2.1 does not restrict an IFRAME's content display to the boundaries of the IFRAME, which allows remote attackers to spoof a user interface 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

This is a clickjacking vulnerability in Safari on iPhone OS 2.0-2.1 and iPod touch 2.1-2.1 where iframes are not properly constrained to their boundaries, allowing iframe content to overflow and overlay transparent or disguised UI elements on top of legitimate interface elements, enabling attackers to trick users into performing unintended actions.

MitigationUpgrade to a newer iOS version as this affects only legacy iOS 2.x releases which are no longer supported; this vulnerability was patched in subsequent iOS releases.

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
Low
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
Partial
Availability
None

AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:P/A:N

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 the iOS version installed on the device
    Go to Settings > General > About and look at the Version field, or use the command 'setproplast' or check the device info through iTunes or Finder
    Affected if The version shown is 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, or 2.0.2
  2. Confirm the device is an iPhone or iPod touch
    Check the device model by looking at Settings > General > About > Model, or physically inspect the device
    Affected if The device is an iPhone or iPod touch running the affected iOS versions listed above
  3. Verify Safari browser is in use
    Check if Safari is the active browser application on the device
    Affected if Safari is being used to browse the web on an affected iOS version

The environment is affected if the device is an iPhone or iPod touch running iOS versions 1.0 through 2.0.2, as these contain the vulnerable Safari iframe boundary handling.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade to a newer iOS version as this affects only legacy iOS 2.x releases which are no longer supported; this vulnerability was patched in subsequent iOS releases.

Fix this in Safari Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
3.0 hours of engineering $750
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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-2008-4232 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