CVE-2012-3722 in iOS
Summary
by MITRE
The Sorenson codec in QuickTime in Apple Mac OS X before 10.7.5, and in CoreMedia in iOS before 6, accesses uninitialized memory locations, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (application crash) via a crafted movie file with Sorenson encoding.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/07/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2012-3722 represents a critical memory safety issue within Apple's media processing frameworks that affected multiple operating systems including Mac OS X and iOS. This flaw exists in the Sorenson codec implementation within QuickTime for Mac OS X versions prior to 10.7.5 and in CoreMedia for iOS versions prior to 6.0. The vulnerability stems from improper memory initialization practices during the decoding process of Sorenson encoded video files, creating a pathway for malicious actors to exploit the system through crafted media content.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-457: Use of Uninitialized Variable, where the Sorenson codec fails to properly initialize memory locations before accessing them during video frame decompression. When processing specially crafted movie files containing malicious Sorenson encoding, the codec attempts to read from memory locations that have not been properly allocated or initialized, leading to unpredictable behavior. This uninitialized memory access can result in two primary attack vectors: remote code execution when the application reads corrupted memory contents and arbitrary code execution, or denial of service through application crashes when the memory access violations cause the media processing framework to terminate unexpectedly.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends across multiple threat scenarios within the Apple ecosystem, particularly affecting users who consume media content from untrusted sources. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability by creating malicious movie files that, when opened by vulnerable applications, trigger the uninitialized memory access pattern. This allows for remote code execution on affected systems, potentially enabling full system compromise, or denial of service attacks that disrupt normal application functionality. The vulnerability affects not only end-user applications but also enterprise environments where media processing is common, including digital signage systems, media servers, and content delivery platforms.
The attack surface for this vulnerability encompasses any application that utilizes the affected QuickTime or CoreMedia frameworks for video processing, including web browsers, media players, and content management systems. The exploitation requires minimal user interaction beyond opening the malicious file, making it particularly dangerous in phishing campaigns or compromised website scenarios. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to T1203: Exploitation for Client Execution and T1059: Command and Scripting Interpreter, as attackers can execute arbitrary code through the media processing pipeline. Security professionals should consider implementing network-based mitigations such as content filtering and sandboxing of media processing components to reduce exposure, while also prioritizing system updates to address the underlying memory initialization flaws in the affected Apple frameworks.