CVE-2015-5936 in Mac OS X
Summary
by MITRE
ImageIO in Apple iOS before 9.1, OS X before 10.11.1, and watchOS before 2.0.1 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (memory corruption) via crafted metadata in an image, a different vulnerability than CVE-2015-5935, CVE-2015-5937, and CVE-2015-5939.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/19/2024
The vulnerability described in CVE-2015-5936 represents a critical memory corruption issue within Apple's ImageIO framework that affects multiple operating systems including iOS versions prior to 9.1, macOS versions before 10.11.1, and watchOS versions before 2.0.1. This flaw resides in the image processing capabilities that handle metadata extraction and interpretation, making it particularly dangerous as it can be triggered through routine image file processing operations. The vulnerability specifically targets the parsing of crafted metadata within image files, which when processed by the ImageIO framework, leads to unpredictable memory behavior that can result in either arbitrary code execution or system denial of service conditions.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves improper bounds checking and memory management within the ImageIO subsystem when handling malformed metadata structures in image files. Attackers can construct specially crafted image files containing malicious metadata that, when processed by the vulnerable system, causes buffer overflows or memory corruption issues. This memory corruption can manifest in various ways including stack smashing, heap corruption, or pointer dereference errors that ultimately allow attackers to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the affected application or system process. The vulnerability operates at the kernel level processing within the image handling pipeline, making it particularly stealthy and difficult to detect through normal security monitoring procedures.
The operational impact of CVE-2015-5936 extends beyond simple denial of service scenarios to include potential remote code execution capabilities that could be exploited in targeted attacks. This makes it a significant concern for enterprise environments where users may unknowingly open malicious image files from email attachments, web downloads, or file sharing platforms. The vulnerability's exploitation potential is further amplified by the fact that it affects core operating system components that are frequently accessed during normal user operations, meaning that simple image viewing activities could trigger the exploit. Security researchers have classified this as a high-severity issue under the Common Weakness Enumeration framework with CWE-125 representing the weakness category for out-of-bounds read conditions that can lead to memory corruption and arbitrary code execution.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability primarily focus on immediate system updates and patches provided by Apple to address the underlying memory handling issues within ImageIO. Organizations should implement comprehensive patch management protocols to ensure all affected systems receive updates promptly, particularly given the remote execution capabilities of this flaw. Additional protective measures include implementing strict file validation procedures for image files received from external sources, utilizing sandboxing mechanisms to limit potential damage from successful exploitation attempts, and deploying network-based intrusion detection systems to monitor for suspicious image file transfers. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving execution through image processing and privilege escalation through memory corruption, making it a valuable target for both initial access and lateral movement within compromised environments. System administrators should also consider implementing application whitelisting policies to restrict image processing applications from executing on sensitive systems, while maintaining detailed logging of image file processing activities to aid in incident response efforts.