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WebkitWeb browser · Apple

CVE-2011-1290

HIGH · 10.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2011-03-11
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
Integer overflow in WebKit, as used on the Research In Motion (RIM) BlackBerry Torch 9800 with firmware 6.0.0.246, in Google Chrome before 10.0.648.133, and in Apple Safari before 5.0.5, allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via unknown vectors related to CSS "style handling," nodesets, and a length value, as demonstrated by Vincenzo Iozzo, Willem Pinckaers, and Ralf-Philipp Weinmann during a Pwn2Own competition at CanSecWest 2011.

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

Integer overflow vulnerability in WebKit's CSS style handling code related to nodesets and length values. Allows remote arbitrary code execution via crafted web pages. Demonstrated as a zero-day at Pwn2Own 2011.

MitigationApply vendor patches: update Google Chrome to 10.0.648.133+, Apple Safari to 5.0.5+, and BlackBerry Torch 9800 to patched firmware. Avoid untrusted websites 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
WebkitWeb browser
Affected:all versions
Blackberry Torch 9800 FirmwareApplication
Affected:= 6.0.0.246
Blackberry Torch 9800Hardware / appliance
Affected:all versions

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
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 checks

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

  1. Identify WebKit-based browsers installed
    Check installed browsers on the system. Common WebKit-based browsers include Apple Safari and Google Chrome. On Windows, look in Program Files; on macOS, check /Applications. On BlackBerry Torch 9800, verify the device model.
    Affected if Any WebKit-based browser (Safari, Chrome) or BlackBerry Torch 9800 is installed
  2. Determine Safari version
    Open Safari, then go to Safari menu > About Safari. Note the version number displayed.
    Affected if Safari version is earlier than 5.0.5 (all versions before the patch are affected)
  3. Determine Google Chrome version
    Open Chrome, click the menu icon (three dots) > Help > About Google Chrome. Note the version number displayed.
    Affected if Chrome version is earlier than 10.0.648.133 (all versions before the patch are affected)
  4. Determine BlackBerry Torch 9800 firmware version
    On the BlackBerry Torch 9800, go to Options > Device > About Device Versions. Note the OS/Firmware version shown.
    Affected if Firmware version is 6.0.0.246 or any version before the vendor patch was applied

The user is affected if they run any version of Safari, Chrome, or have a BlackBerry Torch 9800 that has not been updated to the patched versions (Safari 5.0.5+, Chrome 10.0.648.133+, or patched BlackBerry firmware).

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

Apply vendor patches: update Google Chrome to 10.0.648.133+, Apple Safari to 5.0.5+, and BlackBerry Torch 9800 to patched firmware. Avoid untrusted websites until patches are applied.

Recommended fix High confidence

Chrome 10.0.648.133+ | Safari 5.0.5+ | BlackBerry OS update (check carrier for availability)

  1. For Google Chrome users: Upgrade to Chrome 10.0.648.133 or later to receive the WebKit integer overflow fix
  2. For Apple Safari users: Upgrade to Safari 5.0.5 or later to receive the WebKit integer overflow fix
  3. For BlackBerry Torch 9800 users: Check for available system/firmware updates from your carrier and apply any available security patches
  4. If no update is available from your carrier, consider using an alternative browser that receives independent security updates
  5. Ensure all software is kept up to date to receive future security patches
Caveat Upgrading browser/OS to latest stable version typically low risk; some legacy extensions or configurations may require adjustment

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

Fix this in Webkit Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,820
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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-2011-1290 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