CVE-2016-4619 in tvOS
Summary
by MITRE
libxml2 in Apple iOS before 9.3.3, OS X before 10.11.6, iTunes before 12.4.2 on Windows, iCloud before 5.2.1 on Windows, tvOS before 9.2.2, and watchOS before 2.2.2 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (memory corruption) or possibly have unspecified other impact via unknown vectors, a different vulnerability than CVE-2016-4614, CVE-2016-4615, and CVE-2016-4616.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/06/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-4619 represents a critical memory corruption issue within Apple's libxml2 library implementation across multiple operating systems and applications. This vulnerability affects a broad range of Apple products including iOS versions prior to 9.3.3, macOS versions before 10.11.6, Windows versions of iTunes and iCloud software, as well as tvOS and watchOS versions before their respective patched releases. The flaw manifests in the XML parsing functionality that Apple relies upon for processing various data formats within its ecosystem, creating potential attack vectors that could be exploited by remote adversaries.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from improper memory handling within the libxml2 library's XML parser implementation. When processing malformed or specially crafted XML data, the library fails to properly validate memory allocations and deallocations, leading to memory corruption conditions that can result in application crashes or potentially more severe consequences. This type of vulnerability falls under the CWE-125 weakness category, which describes out-of-bounds read conditions that can lead to memory corruption and arbitrary code execution. The vulnerability's classification as a denial of service issue indicates that attackers can cause applications to crash or become unresponsive through carefully crafted input data.
The operational impact of CVE-2016-4619 extends beyond simple service disruption to potentially enable more sophisticated attacks within Apple's ecosystem. Attackers exploiting this vulnerability could cause applications to crash, leading to denial of service conditions that disrupt user experience and potentially provide opportunities for further exploitation. The unspecified other impacts mentioned in the vulnerability description suggest that the memory corruption could potentially be leveraged to execute arbitrary code or escalate privileges, making this a particularly concerning issue for enterprise and consumer users alike. The vulnerability's presence across multiple Apple platforms indicates a systemic issue within the XML processing infrastructure that requires comprehensive patching across all affected systems.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability involve immediate deployment of vendor patches and updates across all affected Apple platforms. Apple released security updates for iOS 9.3.3, macOS 10.11.6, and respective versions of iTunes, iCloud, tvOS, and watchOS to address this memory corruption issue. Organizations should implement comprehensive patch management procedures to ensure all affected systems receive updates promptly. Network administrators should monitor for exploitation attempts through intrusion detection systems and consider implementing network segmentation to limit potential attack surface. The vulnerability's characteristics align with ATT&CK technique T1203, which describes exploitation of software vulnerabilities for privilege escalation or denial of service, making it a critical target for defensive security measures. Additionally, input validation controls and XML parser hardening measures should be implemented to reduce the likelihood of successful exploitation attempts.