CVE-2012-3742
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 · uneditedSafari in Apple iOS before 6 does not properly restrict use of an unspecified Unicode character that looks similar to the https lock indicator, which allows remote attackers to spoof https connections by placing this character in the TITLE element of a web page.
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 confidenceSafari in iOS before 6 rendered a Unicode character in the page TITLE element that visually mimics the HTTPS lock indicator, allowing remote attackers to spoof secure connection indicators and deceive users into believing they're on an encrypted page.
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<= 5.1.1= 1.0.0= 1.0.1= 1.0.2= 1.1.0= 1.1.1= 1.1.2= 1.1.3= 1.1.4= 1.1.5= 2.0= 2.0.0CVSS 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
- Low
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- Partial
- Availability
- None
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check iOS version on the deviceGo to Settings > General > About > Version, or use iTunes to check the iOS version installed on the iPhone, iPad, or iPod TouchAffected if The version displays 5.1.1 or earlier, or any version listed in the affected ranges (1.0.0 through 2.0, or <= 5.1.1)
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Confirm Safari is the browser in useVerify that Safari is the default web browser on the iOS device; this vulnerability affects Safari specifically, not third-party browsersAffected if Safari is the active browser and the iOS version is in the affected range
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Check if the device can access web contentAttempt to open any webpage in Safari to confirm the browser is functionalAffected if Safari can render web pages and the iOS version is vulnerable (before iOS 6)
A device is affected if it runs iOS version 5.1.1 or earlier (or any version 1.0.0 through 2.0) with Safari enabled, as the spoofed Unicode character can be rendered in the page title to mimic the HTTPS lock indicator.
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 dataDeploy iOS 6 or later to end-user devices to obtain the patched Safari version; this is a client-side vulnerability requiring OS updates rather than server-side remediation.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2012-3742 — 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-2012-3742 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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