CVE-2011-2873
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 · uneditedWebKit, as used in Apple iOS before 5.1 and iTunes before 10.6, allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (memory corruption and application crash) via a crafted web site, a different vulnerability than other WebKit CVEs listed in APPLE-SA-2012-03-07-1 and APPLE-SA-2012-03-07-2.
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 · moderate confidenceMemory corruption vulnerability in WebKit allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause denial of service via a crafted website. Affects Apple iOS devices before version 5.1 and iTunes before version 10.6.
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< 5.1< 10.6CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check iOS version on Apple mobile deviceOn the iOS device, go to Settings > General > About and look at the 'Version' field. Alternatively, connect the device to a computer with iTunes and view the device summary page which displays the iOS version.Affected if Version number is less than 5.1 (for example, 5.0.x, 4.x series)
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Check iTunes version on computerOpen iTunes on the computer. On Windows, go to Help > About iTunes. On Mac, go to the iTunes menu > About iTunes. The version number is displayed in the dialog that opens.Affected if Version number is less than 10.6 (for example, 10.5.x or earlier)
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Verify WebKit-based browser exposure on iOSThis vulnerability affects the WebKit rendering engine used by Mobile Safari and third-party browsers on iOS. Check if any browser apps are in use on affected iOS devices, as they would leverage the same vulnerable WebKit component.Affected if Mobile Safari or any WebKit-based browser is used on an iOS device running a version less than 5.1
A user is affected if any Apple iOS device runs a version below 5.1 OR if iTunes is installed at a version below 10.6, and the device or software is used to browse untrusted websites.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 · scoped5.110.6
Update affected devices and software to iOS 5.1 or later and iTunes 10.6 or later to apply the vendor patch.
iOS 5.1 and iTunes 10.6
- For iOS devices: Connect the device to a computer with iTunes installed
- Open iTunes and select your connected iOS device
- Click on 'Check for Update' or 'Restore' to upgrade to iOS 5.1 or later
- Alternatively, for over-the-air updates: Go to Settings > General > Software Update on the iOS device and update to iOS 5.1 or later
- For iTunes: Open iTunes and navigate to Help > Check for Updates
- Download and install iTunes version 10.6 or later
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2011-2873 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2011-2873 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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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.
- 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