CVE-2015-3688 in iTunes
Summary
by MITRE
CoreText in Apple iOS before 8.4 and OS X before 10.10.4 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (memory corruption) via a crafted text file, a different vulnerability than CVE-2015-3685, CVE-2015-3686, CVE-2015-3687, and CVE-2015-3689.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/16/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-3688 represents a critical memory corruption flaw within Apple's CoreText framework affecting iOS versions prior to 8.4 and OS X versions prior to 10.10.4. This issue resides in the text processing capabilities of Apple's operating systems, specifically within the CoreText component that handles text rendering and formatting operations. The vulnerability manifests when the system processes maliciously crafted text files, creating conditions that can lead to arbitrary code execution or system crashes. CoreText is a fundamental framework responsible for text layout and rendering across Apple's ecosystem, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous as it can be triggered through various text-based inputs including emails, documents, web content, and messaging applications.
The technical exploitation of CVE-2015-3688 occurs through memory corruption vulnerabilities within CoreText's text parsing and rendering mechanisms. When processing specially crafted text files, the framework fails to properly validate input data, leading to buffer overflows, use-after-free conditions, or other memory management errors that can be leveraged by attackers to execute malicious code with the privileges of the affected application. This vulnerability operates at the kernel level text processing functions where the system attempts to render text content, making it particularly challenging to detect and mitigate. The flaw is classified under CWE-125 as an out-of-bounds read condition and potentially CWE-787 as an out-of-bounds write, both of which are common entry points for privilege escalation attacks in mobile and desktop operating systems.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends across multiple attack vectors and user scenarios, as CoreText is utilized throughout Apple's ecosystem for processing text in emails, web browsers, document viewers, messaging applications, and system interfaces. Attackers can exploit this vulnerability remotely by delivering malicious text content through email attachments, web pages, or file transfers, requiring no user interaction beyond opening the text file or visiting a compromised website. The potential consequences include complete system compromise, data theft, persistent backdoor installation, and denial of service conditions that can render devices unusable. According to ATT&CK framework categorization, this vulnerability maps to T1059 for command and script interpreter usage and T1068 for exploit for privilege escalation, representing a significant threat to enterprise security and individual device protection.
Organizations and users must implement immediate mitigation strategies to address CVE-2015-3688, including applying the official security patches released by Apple for iOS 8.4 and OS X 10.10.4 updates. System administrators should prioritize patch deployment across all affected devices and consider implementing network-based controls to monitor for suspicious text file content. Additional protective measures include enabling sandboxing for text processing applications, implementing content filtering for email attachments, and establishing security monitoring protocols to detect potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and highlights the need for robust application security testing, particularly for core system frameworks like CoreText that handle user input data. Organizations should also consider implementing automated vulnerability scanning tools to identify systems running vulnerable versions and establish incident response procedures specifically addressing text-based exploitation vectors.