CVE-2014-0073 – This vulnerability allows remote attackers to e... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2014-0073?

CVE-2014-0073 has a CVSS score of 9.8 (CRITICAL). This vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary JavaScript in the host page of Apache Cordova In-App-Browser plugin for iOS, potentially gaining elevated privileges. It affects iOS applications using vulnerable versions of the Cordova In-App-Browser plugin. Attackers can exploit this via crafted gap-iab: URIs.

📋 TL;DR

This vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary JavaScript in the host page of Apache Cordova In-App-Browser plugin for iOS, potentially gaining elevated privileges. It affects iOS applications using vulnerable versions of the Cordova In-App-Browser plugin. Attackers can exploit this via crafted gap-iab: URIs.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Apache Cordova In-App-Browser plugin for iOS

Versions: Standalone plugin versions before 0.3.2; Cordova versions 2.6.0 through 2.9.0

Operating Systems: iOS

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Only affects iOS platform. Android and other platforms are not vulnerable to this specific issue.

📦 What is this software?

Cordova by Apache

View all CVEs affecting Cordova →

Cordova In App Browser by Apache

View all CVEs affecting Cordova In App Browser →

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Complete compromise of the iOS application, allowing attackers to steal sensitive data, perform unauthorized actions, or execute arbitrary code within the app context.

🟠

Likely Case

Attackers inject malicious JavaScript to steal session tokens, credentials, or manipulate application behavior to perform unauthorized actions.

🟢

If Mitigated

Limited impact with proper input validation and updated plugin versions preventing callback identifier manipulation.

🌐 Internet-Facing: HIGH - Remote attackers can exploit this vulnerability without authentication via web content loaded in the In-App-Browser.

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Requires user interaction with malicious content, but could be exploited through internal phishing or compromised internal sites.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ⚠️ Yes

Weaponized: LIKELY

Unauthenticated Exploit: ⚠️ Yes

Complexity: LOW

Exploitation requires user to visit malicious content in the In-App-Browser. Public proof-of-concept code exists in security advisories.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Standalone plugin 0.3.2+; Cordova 3.0.0+

Vendor Advisory: https://cordova.apache.org/announcements/2014/03/18/ios-inappbrowser.html

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Update Cordova to version 3.0.0 or higher. 2. If using standalone plugin, update to version 0.3.2 or higher. 3. Rebuild and redeploy iOS applications with updated plugin.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable In-App-Browser plugin

all

Remove or disable the vulnerable In-App-Browser plugin if not essential for application functionality.

cordova plugin rm org.apache.cordova.inappbrowser

Implement URI validation

all

Add custom validation for gap-iab: URIs before processing in the In-App-Browser.

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Implement Content Security Policy (CSP) to restrict JavaScript execution
Monitor for suspicious gap-iab: URI patterns in application logs

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check Cordova version with 'cordova -v' and plugin version with 'cordova plugin ls'. Verify if using vulnerable versions.

Check Version:

cordova -v && cordova plugin ls | grep inappbrowser

Verify Fix Applied:

Confirm Cordova version is 3.0.0+ or standalone plugin is 0.3.2+. Test In-App-Browser functionality with known test vectors.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Unusual gap-iab: URI patterns in application logs
JavaScript execution errors from unexpected sources

Network Indicators:

Requests to malicious domains from In-App-Browser context
Suspicious JavaScript payloads in network traffic

SIEM Query:

source="app_logs" AND "gap-iab:" AND NOT "expected_callback"

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2014-0073

CVSS v3 Score: 9.8 (CRITICAL)

CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CWE: CWE-264

Published: October 30, 2017

Last Updated: April 20, 2025

🔗 References

http://d3adend.org/blog/?p=403 Issue Tracking,Third Party Advisory
http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2014/Mar/30 Mailing List,Third Party Advisory
http://www.securityfocus.com/archive/1/531334/100/0/threaded
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/65959 Third Party Advisory,VDB Entry
https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/91560 Issue Tracking,Third Party Advisory,VDB Entry
https://github.com/apache/cordova-plugin-inappbrowser/commit/26702cb0720c5c394b407c23570136c53171fa55 Issue Tracking,Patch,Vendor Advisory
https://mail-archives.apache.org/mod_mbox/cordova-dev/201403.mbox/%3CCAK_TSXLGJag5Q9ATUCbFtkWvMWX9XnC80kKp-HKi25gPcvV4gw%40mail.gmail.com%3E
http://d3adend.org/blog/?p=403 Issue Tracking,Third Party Advisory
http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2014/Mar/30 Mailing List,Third Party Advisory
http://www.securityfocus.com/archive/1/531334/100/0/threaded
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/65959 Third Party Advisory,VDB Entry
https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/91560 Issue Tracking,Third Party Advisory,VDB Entry
https://github.com/apache/cordova-plugin-inappbrowser/commit/26702cb0720c5c394b407c23570136c53171fa55 Issue Tracking,Patch,Vendor Advisory
https://mail-archives.apache.org/mod_mbox/cordova-dev/201403.mbox/%3CCAK_TSXLGJag5Q9ATUCbFtkWvMWX9XnC80kKp-HKi25gPcvV4gw%40mail.gmail.com%3E

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