CVE-2015-5848 in Watch
Summary
by MITRE
IOAcceleratorFamily in Apple iOS before 9 allows local users to gain privileges or cause a denial of service (memory corruption) via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/19/2022
The CVE-2015-5848 vulnerability resides within the IOAcceleratorFamily component of Apple iOS versions prior to 9.0, representing a critical security flaw that affects the operating system's kernel-level graphics acceleration subsystem. This vulnerability falls under the category of privilege escalation and denial of service conditions, with the potential to be exploited by local attackers who have already gained access to the system. The IOAcceleratorFamily serves as a crucial interface between the graphics processing unit and the operating system, facilitating hardware-accelerated graphics operations that are essential for smooth user experience across iOS devices.
The technical nature of this vulnerability involves memory corruption issues that arise from unspecified vectors within the IOAcceleratorFamily implementation. These memory corruption flaws typically stem from improper input validation, buffer overflows, or use-after-free conditions that occur when the kernel processes graphics acceleration requests. The vulnerability's exploitation requires local system access, meaning an attacker must already have a foothold on the device through other means such as jailbreaking or phishing attacks. The flaw specifically impacts how the kernel handles memory management during graphics processing operations, creating opportunities for attackers to either elevate their privileges to kernel level or trigger system crashes that result in denial of service conditions.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risks to iOS device security and stability. The ability to gain kernel privileges through local exploitation means that attackers can bypass the operating system's security model entirely, potentially accessing sensitive user data, modifying system files, or installing malicious software that persists across reboots. The denial of service component of the vulnerability can be leveraged to create persistent system instability, forcing users to restart their devices or potentially rendering them unusable until the system is rebooted or updated. This vulnerability particularly affects enterprise and personal devices where users may have administrative privileges, creating opportunities for attackers to escalate their access and maintain persistent presence on target systems.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2015-5848 primarily involve upgrading to iOS 9.0 or later versions where Apple has implemented patches addressing the memory corruption issues within the IOAcceleratorFamily. System administrators should prioritize immediate deployment of the iOS 9.0 update across all managed devices to prevent exploitation. Additional protective measures include implementing robust device management policies that restrict local system access, enabling automatic security updates, and conducting regular security assessments to identify potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability aligns with attack patterns documented in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under privilege escalation and defense evasion techniques, specifically targeting kernel-level access and system stability manipulation. Organizations should also consider network monitoring solutions that can detect anomalous behavior patterns associated with privilege escalation attempts and implement endpoint protection mechanisms that can identify and block exploitation attempts targeting kernel-level vulnerabilities. The CWE mapping for this vulnerability would likely fall under CWE-121 for buffer overflow conditions or CWE-476 for null pointer dereference issues, both of which are common causes of memory corruption in kernel-level components.