SafariWeb browser · Apple
CVE-2011-3230
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 · uneditedApple Safari before 5.1.1 on Mac OS X does not enforce an intended policy for file: URLs, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted web site.
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 confidenceApple Safari before version 5.1.1 failed to enforce an intended security policy for file: URLs, allowing remote attackers to execute arbitrary code through specially crafted websites. The vulnerability stems from improper restrictions on how the browser handles file: URL schemes, potentially enabling malicious web pages to access local resources or execute code on the victim's machine.
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
all versions<= 5.1= 1.0= 1.0.0= 1.0.0b1= 1.0.0b2= 1.0.1= 1.0.2= 1.0.3= 1.0b1= 1.1= 1.1.0CVSS 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
- Partial
- Integrity
- Partial
- Availability
- Partial
AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P
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 installed Safari versionOn Mac: open Safari, select Safari > About Safari. On Windows: open Help > About Safari. Alternatively, run 'defaults read /Applications/Safari.app/Contents/Info CFBundleShortVersionString' in Terminal on Mac, or right-click Safari.exe and view Properties > Details on Windows.Affected if The displayed version is earlier than 5.1.1 (for example, 5.1, 5.0.6, 5.0.5, or any version 1.x series listed in the affected versions).
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Confirm file: URL handling is accessibleAttempt to load a file: URL in the Safari address bar (for example, type 'file:///etc/passwd' or 'file:///') to verify the browser processes such URLs. This check is only relevant if the version is below 5.1.1.Affected if Safari successfully loads or attempts to process the file: URL, indicating the security policy is not enforced.
You are affected if your installed Safari version is any version earlier than 5.1.1, as the vulnerability allows improper file: URL handling that could enable code execution.
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.
From vendor dataUpgrade Apple Safari to version 5.1.1 or later to apply the vendor patch that enforces proper file: URL policy restrictions.
Fix this in Safari
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,200.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2011-3230 — 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-2011-3230 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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- 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
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