CVE-2016-4592 in tvOS
Summary
by MITRE
WebKit in Apple iOS before 9.3.3, Safari before 9.1.2, and tvOS before 9.2.2 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (memory consumption) via a crafted web site.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/06/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-4592 represents a significant memory consumption issue within Apple's WebKit rendering engine that affected multiple Apple operating systems including iOS versions prior to 9.3.3 Safari versions before 9.1.2 and tvOS versions before 9.2.2. This flaw resides in the WebKit component responsible for processing web content and rendering web pages in Apple's ecosystem. The vulnerability specifically manifests when remote attackers craft malicious websites that exploit memory management behaviors within the WebKit engine. The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-400 which categorizes improper resource management and CWE-122 which addresses heap-based buffer overflow conditions that can lead to memory corruption. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability by constructing web pages that trigger excessive memory allocation patterns within the WebKit engine's memory management subsystem.
The operational impact of CVE-2016-4592 enables remote attackers to execute denial of service attacks against affected systems by consuming excessive memory resources through carefully crafted web content. When users navigate to malicious websites the WebKit engine processes the content in a manner that leads to uncontrolled memory growth, potentially causing system instability or complete system crashes. This vulnerability particularly affects mobile and tablet devices where memory resources are more constrained compared to desktop systems, making the impact more severe on these platforms. The memory consumption behavior can lead to applications being terminated by the operating system's memory management mechanisms or cause the entire device to become unresponsive. This type of vulnerability fits within the ATT&CK framework under the T1499.004 technique for Network Denial of Service and T1059.007 for Command and Scripting Interpreter where attackers can leverage web-based attack vectors to compromise system availability.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2016-4592 primarily involve applying the official security patches released by Apple as part of their regular security updates. Users should immediately update their iOS Safari and tvOS systems to versions 9.3.3 9.1.2 and 9.2.2 respectively to address the vulnerability. System administrators should implement network-based filtering measures to block access to known malicious websites and consider deploying web application firewalls that can detect and prevent exploitation attempts. Organizations should also conduct regular vulnerability assessments to identify systems running outdated WebKit components and ensure proper patch management procedures are in place. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of secure memory management practices in browser engines and highlights the need for continuous security monitoring and rapid response to emerging threats in web-based attack vectors. Additionally, users should exercise caution when visiting untrusted websites and avoid clicking on suspicious links that may lead to malicious content designed to exploit this specific memory consumption flaw.