CVE-2015-3705 in Mac OS X
Summary
by MITRE
IOAcceleratorFamily in Apple OS X before 10.10.4 allows attackers to execute arbitrary code in a privileged context or cause a denial of service (memory corruption) via a crafted app, a different vulnerability than CVE-2015-3706.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/25/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-3705 affects the IOAcceleratorFamily component within Apple's macOS operating system, specifically impacting versions prior to 10.10.4. This issue represents a critical security flaw that enables attackers to escalate privileges or disrupt system operations through malicious applications. The IOAcceleratorFamily serves as a crucial kernel extension responsible for hardware acceleration services, making it a prime target for privilege escalation attacks. The vulnerability stems from improper input validation and memory management within the kernel extension's handling of crafted data structures, creating opportunities for attackers to manipulate kernel memory through carefully constructed application payloads.
The technical flaw manifests as a memory corruption vulnerability within the IOAcceleratorFamily kernel extension, where insufficient bounds checking and validation mechanisms allow attackers to manipulate memory layout and execution flow. This type of vulnerability typically falls under CWE-121, which addresses stack-based buffer overflow conditions, or CWE-122, which covers heap-based buffer overflow scenarios. The vulnerability enables attackers to execute arbitrary code with kernel-level privileges, effectively bypassing standard user-mode security controls and gaining complete system control. The memory corruption occurs during the processing of specific IOAcceleratorFamily APIs, where untrusted input from user-space applications is not adequately sanitized before being processed in kernel space.
The operational impact of CVE-2015-3705 extends beyond simple privilege escalation, as it can result in system instability and potential denial of service conditions. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to execute malicious code with root privileges, potentially leading to complete system compromise, data exfiltration, or persistent backdoor installation. The vulnerability's exploitation requires a crafted application that triggers the vulnerable code path within the kernel extension, making it particularly dangerous as it can be delivered through seemingly legitimate software. The attack vector involves a user executing a malicious application that contains specially crafted data structures designed to exploit the memory corruption flaw. This vulnerability also aligns with ATT&CK technique T1068, which covers 'Local Privilege Escalation' and T1543, covering 'Create or Modify System Process' as attackers can use this vulnerability to establish persistent access to the compromised system.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2015-3705 primarily focus on updating to Apple macOS version 10.10.4 or later, which contains patches addressing the memory corruption vulnerability in IOAcceleratorFamily. System administrators should implement comprehensive patch management processes to ensure all macOS systems are updated promptly, as this vulnerability has been actively exploited in the wild. Additional defensive measures include implementing application whitelisting policies to restrict execution of unsigned or untrusted applications, monitoring for unusual kernel activity patterns, and maintaining regular system backups to facilitate recovery from potential compromise. Organizations should also consider implementing kernel extension monitoring tools to detect unauthorized modifications or loading of potentially malicious kernel components, as the vulnerability specifically targets kernel extensions that operate with elevated privileges. The patch provided by Apple addresses the root cause by implementing proper input validation and memory boundary checks within the IOAcceleratorFamily component, preventing the memory corruption that enables privilege escalation attacks.