CVE-2016-1750 in iOS
Summary
by MITRE
Use-after-free vulnerability in the kernel in Apple iOS before 9.3, OS X before 10.11.4, tvOS before 9.2, and watchOS before 2.2 allows attackers to execute arbitrary code in a privileged context via a crafted app.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/11/2024
The CVE-2016-1750 vulnerability represents a critical use-after-free flaw in Apple's kernel implementation across multiple operating systems including iOS versions prior to 9.3, macOS versions before 10.11.4, tvOS before 9.2, and watchOS before 2.2. This type of vulnerability occurs when a program continues to access memory locations after they have been freed or deallocated, creating opportunities for malicious code execution. The flaw specifically resides in kernel-level memory management functions where improper handling of reference counting leads to memory corruption that can be exploited by crafted applications.
From a technical perspective this vulnerability falls under CWE-416, which specifically addresses use-after-free conditions in software systems. The vulnerability manifests when kernel functions fail to properly validate memory references before accessing them, allowing attackers to manipulate the memory state through carefully constructed application code. The exploitation process typically involves creating a scenario where a kernel object is freed but references to it persist, enabling attackers to overwrite memory contents with malicious payloads. This particular flaw demonstrates the dangerous intersection of kernel memory management and privilege escalation capabilities, as the vulnerability operates within the most privileged execution context of the operating system.
The operational impact of CVE-2016-1750 is severe given that it enables attackers to execute arbitrary code with kernel-level privileges, effectively bypassing all user-mode security controls and protections. This privilege escalation capability allows malicious actors to gain complete system control, access encrypted data, modify system files, and potentially establish persistent backdoors. The vulnerability's presence across multiple Apple platforms including mobile devices, desktop operating systems, and embedded systems creates widespread exposure and increases the attack surface for potential exploitation. Security researchers have documented various attack vectors that leverage this flaw, including the ability to perform code injection attacks that can circumvent modern exploit mitigations such as stack canaries and address space layout randomization.
Organizations and users affected by this vulnerability should implement immediate mitigation strategies including applying the relevant security patches released by Apple, which address the underlying kernel memory management issues. The recommended remediation involves updating to the patched versions of the affected operating systems where iOS 9.3, macOS 10.11.4, tvOS 9.2, and watchOS 2.2 contain the necessary fixes for this vulnerability. Additionally, system administrators should implement monitoring for suspicious memory access patterns and consider implementing exploit prevention measures such as kernel extension restrictions and application sandboxing. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of maintaining current security practices and demonstrates how kernel-level flaws can provide attackers with complete system compromise capabilities, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1059.003 for command and scripting interpreter usage in privilege escalation scenarios.