SafariWeb browser · Apple
CVE-2012-3653
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 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 confidenceMemory corruption vulnerability in WebKit's rendering engine, as used in Apple Safari before version 6.0, allows remote attackers to achieve arbitrary code execution or cause denial of service via specially crafted malicious web pages.
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
<= 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= 1.1.1CVSS 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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Confirm Safari is installedCheck for Safari application: On Windows look in Program Files (x86)\Apple Software Update\Safari or C:\Program Files\Safari; On Mac check /Applications/SafariAffected if Safari executable exists on the system
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Retrieve installed Safari version numberOpen Safari, then on Windows go to Help > About Safari, or on Mac go to Safari > About Safari. Note the full version number displayed (e.g., 5.1.7, 5.1.6, 1.1.1)Affected if The displayed version matches any of these: 5.1.7 or lower; 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
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Check Safari build date as secondary verificationIn Windows, right-click the Safari.exe file, select Properties, then look at the Created or Modified date. On Mac, right-click Safari.app > Get Info and check the version informationAffected if The build predates June 2012 (the release date of Safari 6.0) and the version number falls within affected ranges
You are affected if Safari is installed and its version number is 5.1.7 or lower, or exactly matches one of the older version numbers listed (1.0 through 1.1.1).
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 · scopedUpdate Safari to version 6.0 or later, or apply Apple's corresponding security patch to remediate the vulnerability.
Safari 6.0 or later (requires OS X 10.7.3 or later)
- Check current Safari version by clicking Safari > About Safari (or About Safari from the Safari menu)
- If Safari version is 5.1.7 or earlier, upgrade the operating system to OS X Mountain Lion (10.8) or later, which includes Safari 6.0
- Alternatively, download Safari 6.0 or later from Apple's official website if using a supported Mac OS X version (10.7.3 or later)
- After upgrade, verify Safari version is 6.0 or higher to confirm the vulnerability is patched
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in Safari
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing2.0 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 $1,696.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2012-3653 — 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-2012-3653 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