CVE-2008-3631 in iPod touch
Summary
by MITRE
Application Sandbox in Apple iPod touch 2.0 through 2.0.2, and iPhone 2.0 through 2.0.2, does not properly isolate third-party applications, which allows attackers to read arbitrary files in a third-party application s sandbox via a different third-party application.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/03/2019
The vulnerability described in CVE-2008-3631 represents a critical sandboxing flaw in Apple's mobile operating system affecting iPod touch and iPhone devices running firmware versions 2.0 through 2.0.2. This issue fundamentally undermines the security model designed to isolate applications from each other and from system resources. The sandbox mechanism, which should create a secure boundary around each application to prevent unauthorized access to data and system resources, fails to maintain proper isolation between third-party applications. This weakness creates a direct pathway for malicious actors to bypass security controls and access sensitive information from other applications running on the same device.
The technical implementation flaw stems from insufficient boundary enforcement within the application sandbox architecture. When third-party applications attempt to access files or resources, the system should enforce strict access controls based on application identity and permissions. However, this vulnerability allows an attacker to exploit a design weakness that enables file access across application boundaries. The flaw specifically manifests when one third-party application attempts to read files belonging to another third-party application, effectively breaking the isolation that should exist between separate software entities. This type of vulnerability falls under the CWE-255 category of "Improper Handling of Credentials" and more specifically aligns with CWE-284 which addresses "Improper Access Control" in software systems.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft, as it enables a range of malicious activities that can compromise user privacy and device security. Attackers can leverage this weakness to access sensitive user information stored by other applications, including personal data, communication records, and potentially confidential business information. The vulnerability affects all third-party applications running on affected devices, creating a widespread security risk that could be exploited across multiple applications simultaneously. This cross-application access capability represents a significant threat to user privacy and device integrity, as it allows unauthorized data extraction without requiring elevated privileges or system-level access. The vulnerability essentially provides a backdoor that bypasses the fundamental security principle of application isolation that mobile operating systems rely upon for user protection.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate firmware updates from Apple to address the sandboxing implementation issues. Users should promptly upgrade to patched versions of the operating system that resolve the boundary enforcement problems within the application sandbox. Network administrators and security professionals should monitor for potential exploitation attempts and consider implementing additional security controls such as application whitelisting or network-based intrusion detection systems. The remediation process involves addressing the root cause in the operating system's privilege management and access control mechanisms rather than applying workarounds. Organizations should also conduct security assessments to identify any applications that may have been compromised through this vulnerability and ensure proper application lifecycle management practices are in place to prevent similar issues in future deployments. This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper sandbox implementation in mobile operating systems and the potential consequences when such security controls fail to function as intended, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1548.001 for Privilege Escalation and T1070.004 for Indicator Removal on Host.