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SafariWeb browser · Apple

CVE-2012-3636

HIGH · 9.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2012-07-25
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 5.1.7 or later.
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
WebKit, as used in Apple Safari before 6.0, 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-2012-07-25-1.

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 WebKit (used by Apple Safari before version 6.0) allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service via a crafted website.

MitigationUpdate Apple Safari to version 6.0 or later to patch the vulnerability; avoid visiting untrusted websites until the update is 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
SafariWeb browser
Affected:<= 5.1.7= 1.0= 1.0.0= 1.0.0b1= 1.0.0b2= 1.0.1= 1.0.2= 1.0.3= 1.0b1= 1.1= 1.1.0= 1.1.1

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. Check if Apple Safari is installed
    On macOS, open Terminal and run: ls /Applications/ | grep -i Safari. On Windows, check Program Files for Safari folder.
    Affected if Safari is not installed on the system
  2. Determine installed Safari version on macOS
    Open Terminal and run: defaults read /Applications/Safari.app/Contents/Info CFBundleShortVersionString
    Affected if The version returned is <= 5.1.7 or matches 1.0, 1.0.0, 1.0.0b1, 1.0.0b2, 1.0.1, 1.0.2, 1.0.3, 1.0b1, 1.1, 1.1.0, or 1.1.1
  3. Determine installed Safari version on Windows
    Right-click Safari.exe, select Properties, and check the Details tab for Product Version
    Affected if The version returned is <= 5.1.7 or matches 1.0, 1.0.0, 1.0.0b1, 1.0.0b2, 1.0.1, 1.0.2, 1.0.3, 1.0b1, 1.1, 1.1.0, or 1.1.1
  4. Verify WebKit is the rendering engine
    In Safari, go to Safari > About Safari. WebKit is the default engine; no additional configuration check needed as Safari uses WebKit by default.
    Affected if This condition is inherent to Safari and always true; the vulnerability applies whenever Safari with an affected version is used

A user is affected if Safari with a version <= 5.1.7 or one of the specific older versions (1.0, 1.0.0, 1.0.0b1, 1.0.0b2, 1.0.1, 1.0.2, 1.0.3, 1.0b1, 1.1, 1.1.0, 1.1.1) is installed and used to visit a crafted malicious website.

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 5.1.7
Interim mitigation

Update Apple Safari to version 6.0 or later to patch the vulnerability; avoid visiting untrusted websites until the update is applied.

Recommended fix High confidence

Safari 6.0 or later (included with OS X Mountain Lion 10.8 and later)

  1. Check the current Safari version by selecting Safari > About Safari
  2. For Mac users: Upgrade to OS X Mountain Lion (10.8) or later, which includes Safari 6.0 or later containing the fix
  3. For Mac users: If already on OS X Mountain Lion or later, use Software Update to install Safari 6.0 or later
  4. Verify the fix by checking Safari version (Safari > About Safari) shows version 6.0 or higher
  5. If on an older Mac that cannot run OS X Mountain Lion, consider using an alternative browser until the system can be upgraded
Caveat Safari 6.0 requires OS X Mountain Lion (10.8) or later; older Mac systems cannot run this version and may need to use an alternative browser

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

Fix this in Safari Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
4.0 hours of engineering $750
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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-2012-3636 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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