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SafariWeb browser · Apple

CVE-2012-3691

MEDIUM · 5.8 CVSS v2.0 Published 2012-07-25
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 5.1.7 or later.
See remediation →
67/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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 in Apple Safari before 6.0 does not properly handle Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) property values, which allows remote attackers to bypass the Same Origin Policy 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 confidence

WebKit in Apple Safari before version 6.0 contains a flaw in how it handles Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) property values. This improper handling allows a malicious website to read or access content from other domains, effectively bypassing the Same Origin Policy security mechanism that normally isolates website content.

MitigationUpdate Apple Safari to version 6.0 or later to obtain the patched WebKit component that properly handles CSS property values in accordance with Same Origin Policy constraints.

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
Partial
Integrity
Partial
Availability
None

AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:N

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 installed Safari version
    Open Safari, go to Safari menu > About Safari, or run 'safari_version' in Terminal on macOS
    Affected if Version is 5.1.7 or earlier, or equals 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, or 1.1.1
  2. Identify Safari version on Windows
    If using Windows, open Control Panel > Programs and Features > Safari, or right-click the Safari executable and view Properties > Details for version information
    Affected if Version is 5.1.7 or earlier, or matches any older version in the affected list
  3. Confirm WebKit is the rendering engine
    Safari uses WebKit as its rendering engine; this vulnerability is inherent to the WebKit component bundled with Safari - no separate module check required
    Affected if Safari is using its bundled WebKit engine and the Safari version falls within the affected ranges

If your installed Safari version is 5.1.7 or earlier, or matches any of the older version numbers listed, your browser contains the vulnerable WebKit CSS handling and is affected by this Same Origin Policy bypass.

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.

From vendor data
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 5.1.7
Interim mitigation

Update Apple Safari to version 6.0 or later to obtain the patched WebKit component that properly handles CSS property values in accordance with Same Origin Policy constraints.

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
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,200.

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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-2012-3691 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