CVE-2012-3757 in QuickTime
Summary
by MITRE
Apple QuickTime before 7.7.3 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (memory corruption and application crash) via a crafted PICT file.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/19/2021
Apple QuickTime versions prior to 7.7.3 contained a critical memory corruption vulnerability that enabled remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause denial of service conditions through the careful crafting of PICT image files. This vulnerability resides in the image parsing functionality of QuickTime's PICT file handler, which processes the PICT format commonly used in macOS and iOS environments for image storage and display. The flaw manifests when the application attempts to parse malformed PICT data structures, leading to unpredictable memory behavior that can be exploited to gain remote code execution privileges. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and memory management within the QuickTime image processing pipeline, where buffer overflows and improper memory allocation occur during the parsing of crafted PICT file headers and data segments. This weakness aligns with CWE-121, heap-based buffer overflow, and CWE-125, out-of-bounds read, which are fundamental memory corruption issues that enable attackers to manipulate program execution flow. The attack vector requires an unsuspecting user to open a maliciously crafted PICT file, either through email attachments, web downloads, or malicious websites, making it particularly dangerous in social engineering scenarios. From an operational perspective, this vulnerability represents a significant risk to enterprise environments where QuickTime is widely deployed, as it can be leveraged to compromise user systems and potentially escalate privileges within the operating system context. The denial of service aspect of this vulnerability can be exploited to crash the QuickTime application or even the entire system, creating availability issues that can disrupt business operations. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability maps to T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter and T1489 for denial of service, as attackers can leverage the memory corruption to execute malicious payloads while simultaneously causing system instability. The exploitation typically involves crafting PICT files with oversized data structures or malformed headers that trigger the buffer overflow conditions when processed by QuickTime's image parser. Security researchers have noted that the vulnerability is particularly challenging to detect and prevent due to its reliance on legitimate image file processing behavior that appears normal to standard security scanning tools. Organizations should implement immediate patch management procedures to upgrade to QuickTime 7.7.3 or later versions, while also deploying network-based intrusion detection systems that can identify suspicious PICT file traffic. Additionally, user education programs should emphasize the importance of avoiding untrusted image files, and administrators should consider implementing application whitelisting policies that restrict QuickTime execution to trusted environments. The vulnerability demonstrates the ongoing challenges in image processing libraries where complex file format parsers can contain memory corruption flaws that are difficult to identify through conventional testing methods, highlighting the need for more robust security testing practices in multimedia software development.