CVE-2016-4743 in iCloud
Summary
by MITRE
An issue was discovered in certain Apple products. iOS before 10.2 is affected. Safari before 10.0.2 is affected. iCloud before 6.1 is affected. iTunes before 12.5.4 is affected. The issue involves the "WebKit" component. It allows remote attackers to obtain sensitive information from process memory or cause a denial of service (memory corruption and application crash) via a crafted web site.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/07/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-4743 represents a critical security flaw within Apple's WebKit rendering engine that affected multiple Apple products including iOS versions prior to 10.2, Safari versions before 10.0.2, iCloud versions before 6.1, and iTunes versions before 12.5.4. This issue resides within the core web rendering component that processes and displays web content across Apple's ecosystem, making it particularly dangerous as it could be exploited through standard web browsing activities. The vulnerability stems from improper handling of memory management within the WebKit engine, creating opportunities for attackers to manipulate process memory through maliciously crafted web pages.
The technical nature of this vulnerability involves memory corruption issues that can lead to information disclosure or denial of service conditions. Attackers can craft specific web content that, when loaded in Safari or other Apple applications utilizing WebKit, triggers memory corruption patterns that allow extraction of sensitive data from process memory. This type of vulnerability falls under the CWE-125 weakness category, which describes out-of-bounds read conditions that can result in information disclosure or system instability. The memory corruption occurs during the processing of web content, particularly when handling certain JavaScript or HTML elements that cause the WebKit engine to access memory locations beyond their allocated boundaries.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, as it can also result in application crashes and system instability that could be exploited for more sophisticated attacks. When exploited successfully, the vulnerability allows remote attackers to either extract sensitive information from memory locations that should remain protected, or to cause applications to crash through memory corruption techniques. This makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous in environments where Apple devices are used for business or sensitive communications, as it could potentially lead to data breaches or service disruption. The attack vector requires only a user to visit a malicious website, making it highly exploitable in phishing campaigns or compromised websites that could be used to target Apple device users.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2016-4743 primarily involve updating affected Apple products to their patched versions, specifically iOS 10.2, Safari 10.0.2, iCloud 6.1, and iTunes 12.5.4. Organizations should implement comprehensive patch management policies to ensure all Apple devices within their environment are updated promptly. Network administrators should consider implementing web filtering solutions that can block access to known malicious domains and monitor for suspicious web traffic patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. Security teams should also conduct regular vulnerability assessments to identify any remaining unpatched devices and establish monitoring procedures for detecting potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability's classification under the ATT&CK framework would place it within the initial access and execution phases, specifically related to web-based attacks that leverage browser vulnerabilities for information gathering and system compromise.