First published: Tue Jun 03 2008(Updated: )
Apple Safari on Mac OS X, and before 3.1.2 on Windows, does not prompt the user before downloading an object that has an unrecognized content type, which allows remote attackers to place malware into the (1) Desktop directory on Windows or (2) Downloads directory on Mac OS X, and subsequently allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on Windows by leveraging an untrusted search path vulnerability in (a) Internet Explorer 7 on Windows XP or (b) the SearchPath function in Windows XP, Vista, and Server 2003 and 2008, aka a "Carpet Bomb" and a "Blended Threat Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability," a different issue than CVE-2008-1032. NOTE: Apple considers this a vulnerability only because the Microsoft products can load application libraries from the desktop and, as of 20080619, has not covered the issue in an advisory for Mac OS X.
Credit: cve@mitre.org
Affected Software | Affected Version | How to fix |
---|---|---|
Apple Mobile Safari | <3.1.2 | |
Internet Explorer | =7 | |
Microsoft Windows Server 2003 | ||
Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Itanium | ||
Microsoft Windows Vista | ||
Microsoft Windows XP |
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CVE-2008-2540 has a medium severity rating due to its potential to allow malware downloads without user consent.
To fix CVE-2008-2540, update your Apple Safari browser to version 3.1.2 or later.
CVE-2008-2540 affects Apple Safari versions prior to 3.1.2 on both Mac OS X and Windows.
CVE-2008-2540 can be exploited by remote attackers to download malware automatically to the user's Desktop or Downloads directory.
No, Internet Explorer 7 is not vulnerable to CVE-2008-2540.