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SafariWeb browser · Apple

CVE-2012-3663

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 · moderate confidence

A memory corruption vulnerability in WebKit (the rendering engine used by Safari) allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service by tricking users into visiting a crafted malicious website. The high CVSS score of 9.3 indicates critical severity with potential for complete system compromise.

MitigationUpdate Apple Safari to version 6.0 or later to address this vulnerability. Organizations should prioritize patching managed endpoints and ensure end-users are running the latest browser version.

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. Verify Apple Safari is installed
    Check for Safari installation: On macOS, look in /Applications or run 'ls /Applications | grep -i safari'. On Windows, check C:\Program Files\Apple\Safari or C:\Program Files (x86)\Apple\Safari
    Affected if Safari is not installed on the system - no action needed. If installed, proceed to version check.
  2. Determine installed Safari version
    On macOS: Click Safari > About Safari, or run 'defaults read /Applications/Safari.app/Contents/Info CFBundleVersion'. On Windows: Click Safari > About Safari, or check the version in Programs and Features
    Affected if The exact version displayed must be captured for comparison against affected versions.
  3. Compare version against affected range
    Check if the installed version matches any of these: 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, or any version 5.1.7 or earlier
    Affected if The installed version is one of the affected versions listed above - the system is vulnerable.
  4. Verify WebKit component version if available
    On systems where WebKit is bundled separately (not typical for Safari), check the WebKit version via 'WebKitVersion' key or about:webkit page
    Affected if WebKit version matches Safari's affected versions - this confirms the vulnerable rendering engine is present.

A user is affected if Apple Safari is installed and the installed version is 5.1.7 or lower, or matches any of the specific older version numbers listed in the affected products.

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 address this vulnerability. Organizations should prioritize patching managed endpoints and ensure end-users are running the latest browser version.

Recommended fix High confidence

Safari 6.0 or later (which includes the patched WebKit component)

  1. Open the App Store or use Software Update on your Mac
  2. Check for Safari updates
  3. Download and install Safari 6.0 or later
  4. Restart your browser after the update completes
  5. Verify the update by going to Safari > About Safari - it should show version 6.0 or higher
Caveat Safari 6.0 requires OS X Lion (10.7.3 or later) or OS X Mountain Lion; users on older OS versions may need to upgrade the operating system first

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

Fix this in Safari Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,420
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,272.

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-2012-3663 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