CVE-2016-1722 in iOS
Summary
by MITRE
syslog in Apple iOS before 9.2.1, OS X before 10.11.3, and tvOS before 9.1.1 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 • 07/03/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-1722 affects the syslog component within Apple's operating systems including iOS versions prior to 9.2.1, macOS versions before 10.11.3, and tvOS versions before 9.1.1. This issue represents a critical security flaw in the system logging mechanism that could be exploited by local attackers to escalate privileges or disrupt system operations through memory corruption. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and memory management within the syslog service implementation, creating potential attack vectors that adversaries could leverage for unauthorized system access.
The technical flaw manifests in how the syslog component processes certain input parameters or log messages, leading to improper memory handling that can result in buffer overflows or memory corruption conditions. This type of vulnerability falls under the CWE-121 category of Buffer Overflow, specifically involving stack-based buffer overflows that occur when the syslog service fails to properly validate the length or content of incoming log data. Attackers exploiting this weakness could potentially execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges or cause the system to crash through carefully crafted log entries that trigger memory corruption. The vulnerability represents a classic example of insufficient bounds checking in system-level services that handle untrusted input data.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to affected Apple systems as local users with minimal privileges could potentially exploit the flaw to gain root access or cause system instability. The memory corruption aspect means that successful exploitation could lead to complete system compromise or denial of service conditions that would require system restarts. Security researchers have noted that the vulnerability is particularly concerning because it affects core system components that are constantly active and receive log data from various system processes and applications. The impact extends beyond simple privilege escalation to include potential data integrity issues and system availability concerns that could affect enterprise deployments and consumer devices alike.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2016-1722 primarily focus on applying the official security patches released by Apple for the affected operating system versions. Organizations should prioritize updating all affected iOS, macOS, and tvOS devices to their respective patched versions to eliminate the vulnerability exposure. System administrators should also implement monitoring solutions to detect unusual log activity patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. Additionally, implementing least privilege principles and restricting local user access to system components can help reduce the attack surface. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1068 which covers local privilege escalation, and organizations should consider this when developing their incident response procedures. Network segmentation and application whitelisting can provide additional defense-in-depth measures to limit potential exploitation impact. Regular vulnerability assessments and security audits should be conducted to identify any remaining exposure risks in the system infrastructure.