CVE-2016-4766 in tvOS
Summary
by MITRE
WebKit in Apple iOS before 10, tvOS before 10, iTunes before 12.5.1 on Windows, and Safari before 10 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (memory corruption) via a crafted web site, a different vulnerability than CVE-2016-4759, CVE-2016-4765, CVE-2016-4767, and CVE-2016-4768.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/21/2022
This vulnerability affects Apple's WebKit rendering engine across multiple platforms including iOS versions prior to 10, tvOS versions prior to 10, iTunes versions prior to 12.5.1 on Windows, and Safari versions prior to 10. The flaw represents a memory corruption issue that enables remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause denial of service conditions through maliciously crafted websites. The vulnerability operates independently from other related issues such as CVE-2016-4759, CVE-2016-4765, CVE-2016-4767, and CVE-2016-4768, indicating a distinct code path or memory handling mechanism within the WebKit engine. The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with common software security weaknesses categorized under CWE-119, which deals with memory safety issues including buffer overflows, use-after-free errors, and other memory corruption vulnerabilities.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant as it allows attackers to remotely compromise systems without requiring user interaction beyond visiting a malicious website. This makes it particularly dangerous in phishing attacks, drive-by downloads, or compromised websites that could be encountered by unsuspecting users. The memory corruption aspect suggests that attackers could potentially overwrite critical memory locations, leading to arbitrary code execution or system crashes that result in denial of service. The vulnerability's presence in multiple Apple platforms indicates a systemic issue within the WebKit engine that affects various operating environments, making it a widespread concern across Apple's ecosystem. From an attack perspective, this vulnerability would likely be classified under ATT&CK technique T1203, which involves exploiting web-based vulnerabilities to gain initial access to target systems.
The root cause of this vulnerability stems from improper memory handling within WebKit's JavaScript engine or rendering components, where insufficient bounds checking or memory management controls allow attackers to manipulate memory contents through crafted web content. This type of vulnerability often occurs when developers fail to properly validate input data or when memory allocation and deallocation processes contain flaws that can be exploited through carefully constructed payloads. The vulnerability's classification as a memory corruption issue places it within the broader category of software security flaws that can be exploited through techniques such as heap spraying, stack overflow manipulation, or use-after-free attacks. The fact that this vulnerability affects both iOS and desktop platforms indicates that the underlying memory management issues exist in shared code components across Apple's WebKit implementation. Security researchers would typically analyze such vulnerabilities through memory debugging tools, fuzzing techniques, and reverse engineering to identify the precise conditions that trigger the memory corruption, making this vulnerability a prime target for exploitation in advanced persistent threat campaigns or zero-day attack scenarios.