CVE-2016-1741 in Mac OS X
Summary
by MITRE
The NVIDIA driver in the Graphics Drivers subsystem in Apple OS X before 10.11.4 allows attackers to execute arbitrary code in a privileged context or cause a denial of service (memory corruption) via a crafted app.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/11/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-1741 represents a critical security flaw within the NVIDIA graphics driver implementation in Apple's macOS operating system. This issue affects versions prior to macOS 10.11.4 and resides within the Graphics Drivers subsystem, specifically targeting the interaction between NVIDIA's proprietary graphics drivers and the macOS kernel. The vulnerability stems from improper input validation and memory handling within the graphics driver component that processes graphics-related requests from user-space applications. Attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting malicious applications that trigger specific sequences of graphics operations, leading to memory corruption within the privileged driver context. The flaw essentially allows an unprivileged user-level process to manipulate memory locations that should only be accessible to the kernel or privileged system components, creating a significant privilege escalation vector.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through memory corruption techniques that leverage the graphics driver's handling of malformed or specially crafted graphics commands. When a malicious application executes graphics operations that trigger the vulnerable code path, the NVIDIA driver fails to properly validate input parameters or manage memory allocation, resulting in buffer overflows or other memory corruption conditions. This memory corruption can be leveraged to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges, effectively allowing attackers to bypass standard security boundaries between user-space applications and the protected kernel space. The vulnerability specifically impacts the graphics processing unit's driver interface within the macOS kernel, where NVIDIA's proprietary driver code interacts with the operating system's graphics subsystem. This type of flaw typically falls under the CWE-121 category of buffer overflow conditions, though the specific context of graphics driver exploitation makes it particularly dangerous due to the elevated privileges required to execute code at the kernel level.
The operational impact of CVE-2016-1741 extends beyond simple privilege escalation, as it can enable complete system compromise when exploited successfully. Attackers who gain kernel-level execution privileges through this vulnerability can modify system files, disable security features, install rootkits, or extract sensitive data from the system without detection. The memory corruption can also result in system instability, leading to denial of service conditions where the graphics subsystem crashes or causes the entire operating system to become unresponsive. This vulnerability is particularly concerning because it affects a core component of macOS graphics functionality, meaning that any application running on the system could potentially trigger the exploit. The attack surface is broad since graphics operations are fundamental to most user applications, making this vulnerability highly exploitable in real-world scenarios. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1068, which describes 'Exploitation for Privilege Escalation' and specifically targets the kernel-level privilege escalation pathways that attackers use to gain administrative control over systems.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2016-1741 primarily focus on updating to macOS 10.11.4 or later versions where Apple has implemented patches to address the memory handling issues within the NVIDIA graphics driver. System administrators should ensure that all macOS installations are updated to the latest available versions, particularly those that include kernel security patches and graphics driver updates from NVIDIA. Additionally, monitoring for suspicious graphics-related processes and implementing application whitelisting policies can help reduce the risk of exploitation by limiting which applications can interact with graphics drivers. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of maintaining up-to-date graphics drivers and operating system patches, as graphics drivers often contain complex code that requires regular security updates to address newly discovered flaws. Organizations should also consider implementing network segmentation and access controls to limit the potential impact of successful exploitation, while security teams should monitor for indicators of compromise related to graphics driver exploitation attempts. The patch provided by Apple addresses the root cause by implementing proper memory validation and bounds checking within the graphics driver code, preventing the memory corruption conditions that enabled privilege escalation.