CVE-2008-1739 in QuickTime
Summary
by MITRE
Apple QuickTime before 7.4.5 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) and possibly execute arbitrary code via crafted ftyp atoms in a movie file, which triggers memory corruption.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/12/2017
Apple QuickTime versions prior to 7.4.5 contained a critical memory corruption vulnerability that could be exploited through maliciously crafted ftyp atoms within movie files. This vulnerability represents a classic buffer overflow condition that occurs during the parsing of media container format metadata, specifically affecting the handling of brand identification atoms that define the file format and compatibility of QuickTime media files. The flaw exists in the QuickTime Player component responsible for processing the file type identification (ftyp) atom, which is a fundamental element in the QuickTime file structure that specifies the major brand and compatible brands for a given media file. Attackers could craft malicious movie files containing specially formatted ftyp atoms that would trigger memory corruption when processed by the vulnerable QuickTime player, leading to unpredictable behavior including application crashes or potential code execution. The vulnerability falls under CWE-125, which describes out-of-bounds read conditions, and CWE-787, which covers out-of-bounds write conditions, both of which are common in media processing libraries where buffer boundaries are not properly validated. The attack vector is particularly concerning as it requires no special privileges or user interaction beyond opening a malicious file, making it a prime candidate for drive-by download attacks and social engineering campaigns. From an operational security perspective, this vulnerability created significant risk for organizations relying on QuickTime for media playback, as it could be exploited through email attachments, web downloads, or malicious websites. The impact extends beyond simple denial of service to potentially allowing remote code execution, which aligns with ATT&CK technique T1203 for legitimate user execution and T1059 for command and scripting interpreter. Organizations faced the challenge of patch management across numerous systems where QuickTime was installed, as the vulnerability affected multiple operating systems including various versions of macOS and Windows. The fix implemented by Apple in QuickTime 7.4.5 involved proper bounds checking and memory allocation validation for ftyp atom parsing, addressing the root cause of the buffer overflow condition. Security researchers noted that this vulnerability highlighted the importance of validating all input data in media processing applications, particularly those handling complex container formats. The incident underscored the need for robust input validation in multimedia frameworks and contributed to improved security practices in media player development. Organizations had to implement immediate patching procedures and consider alternative media players to mitigate exposure, while also enhancing their security monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts. This vulnerability demonstrated how seemingly benign file format parsing could become a critical security risk when proper validation mechanisms were absent, emphasizing the principle of defense in depth for multimedia applications. The remediation process required careful testing to ensure that patches did not break existing functionality while providing adequate protection against the memory corruption exploit. Security professionals recommended disabling QuickTime playback for untrusted content and implementing network-based protections to prevent automatic execution of potentially malicious media files. The vulnerability also prompted discussions about the security implications of legacy media formats and the challenges of maintaining secure implementations for widely deployed multimedia applications.