CVE-2008-2540
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.
Key facts
- CVSS score
- 9.3 (v2.0)
- Severity
- HIGH
- CVSS vector
AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C- Weakness (CWE)
- CWE-264
- EPSS score
- 8.3% (95th percentile)
- In CISA KEV
- No
- In EU EUVD
- Yes (EUVD-2008-2535)
- Published
- June 3, 2008
- NVD last modified
- June 16, 2026
- Status
- Modified
EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD)
This vulnerability is also tracked by ENISA as EUVD-2008-2535 in the EU Vulnerability Database. Last updated in EUVD on August 7, 2024.
View on the EU Vulnerability DatabaseAffected products
- apple / safari
- microsoft / internet explorer
- microsoft / windows server 2003
- microsoft / windows server 2008
- microsoft / windows vista
- microsoft / windows xp
References
- http://aviv.raffon.net/2008/05/31/SafariPwnsInternetExplorer.aspx(Third Party Advisory)
- http://blogs.zdnet.com/security/?p=1230(Third Party Advisory)
- http://lists.apple.com/archives/security-announce/2008//Jun/msg00001.html(Mailing List, Vendor Advisory)
- http://secunia.com/advisories/30467(Third Party Advisory)
- http://securitytracker.com/id?1020150(Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry)
- http://support.avaya.com/elmodocs2/security/ASA-2009-133.htm(Third Party Advisory)
- http://support.nortel.com/go/main.jsp?cscat=BLTNDETAIL&id=871138(Third Party Advisory)
- http://www.dhanjani.com/archives/2008/05/safari_carpet_bomb.html(Broken Link)
- http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/advisory/953818.mspx(Mitigation, Patch, Vendor Advisory)
- http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/29445(Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry)
- http://www.securitytracker.com/id?1022047(Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry)
- http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/techalerts/TA09-104A.html(Third Party Advisory, US Government Resource)
- http://www.vupen.com/english/advisories/2008/1706(Broken Link)
- http://www.vupen.com/english/advisories/2009/1028(Broken Link)
- http://www.vupen.com/english/advisories/2009/1029(Broken Link)
- https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/security-updates/securitybulletins/2009/ms09-014
- https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/security-updates/securitybulletins/2009/ms09-015
- https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/42765(Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry)
- https://oval.cisecurity.org/repository/search/definition/oval%3Aorg.mitre.oval%3Adef%3A5782(Third Party Advisory)
- https://oval.cisecurity.org/repository/search/definition/oval%3Aorg.mitre.oval%3Adef%3A6108(Third Party Advisory)
- https://oval.cisecurity.org/repository/search/definition/oval%3Aorg.mitre.oval%3Adef%3A8509(Third Party Advisory)
Last updated September 17, 2026 · Source: NVD, CISA KEV, FIRST.org EPSS
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