CVE-2015-3665 in QuickTime
Summary
by MITRE
QT Media Foundation in Apple QuickTime before 7.7.7 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (memory corruption) via a crafted file, a different vulnerability than CVE-2015-3664 and CVE-2015-3669.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/22/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-3665 affects Apple QuickTime's QT Media Foundation component in versions prior to 7.7.7, representing a critical security flaw that enables remote code execution or denial of service conditions through the manipulation of crafted media files. This vulnerability operates within the broader context of multimedia processing frameworks where improper input validation and memory management can create exploitable conditions. The flaw specifically resides in how QuickTime handles media file parsing and processing, particularly when encountering malformed or specially crafted media content that triggers memory corruption during playback operations.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient bounds checking and memory management within the QT Media Foundation subsystem. When a maliciously crafted media file is processed by QuickTime, the application fails to properly validate the structure and content of the media container, leading to buffer overflows or other memory corruption issues. This memory corruption can be leveraged by attackers to overwrite critical memory locations, potentially allowing for arbitrary code execution within the context of the QuickTime process. The vulnerability demonstrates characteristics consistent with CWE-121, which addresses stack-based buffer overflow conditions, and CWE-122, covering heap-based buffer overflow scenarios that can occur during dynamic memory allocation processes.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risk to end users who may encounter malicious media files through various attack vectors including email attachments, web downloads, or compromised websites. The remote exploitation capability means that attackers can potentially compromise systems without requiring local access or user interaction beyond opening the malicious file. This aligns with ATT&CK technique T1203, which covers legitimate user execution through various means including social engineering and automated exploitation. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple code execution to include potential denial of service scenarios where system resources are consumed or application stability is compromised, affecting both individual users and enterprise environments.
Organizations and users should prioritize immediate remediation by updating to QuickTime version 7.7.7 or later, which includes patches addressing the memory corruption vulnerabilities in the QT Media Foundation component. System administrators should implement network segmentation and content filtering to prevent unauthorized media file downloads, while security teams should monitor for potential exploitation attempts through network traffic analysis and endpoint detection systems. The vulnerability underscores the importance of maintaining up-to-date multimedia software and implementing defense-in-depth strategies that include application whitelisting, sandboxing mechanisms, and regular security assessments of media processing components. Additional mitigations should include user education regarding safe file handling practices and the implementation of automated patch management systems to ensure timely deployment of security updates across all affected systems.