CVE-2016-7592 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, which allows remote attackers to obtain sensitive information via crafted JavaScript prompts on a web site.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/07/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-7592 represents a significant information disclosure 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 vulnerability resides within the WebKit component which serves as the foundation for web content rendering across Apple's ecosystem, making it a critical security concern that could potentially impact millions of users. The flaw specifically manifests through crafted JavaScript prompts that malicious actors can exploit to extract sensitive information from affected systems.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability exploits weaknesses in how WebKit handles JavaScript prompt dialogs, allowing remote attackers to manipulate the browser's behavior to disclose information that should remain protected. This type of vulnerability falls under the CWE-200 category of "Information Exposure" and represents a form of side-channel information leakage that occurs through the manipulation of user interface elements. The attack vector specifically leverages the interaction between JavaScript code and the browser's prompt handling mechanism, where malicious code can potentially access or infer sensitive data through carefully crafted JavaScript code sequences that exploit the underlying implementation details of the prompt dialog functionality.
The operational impact of CVE-2016-7592 extends beyond simple information disclosure as it could enable attackers to gather sensitive user data, potentially including personal information, session tokens, or other confidential data that users might unknowingly provide through the manipulated prompt dialogs. This vulnerability particularly affects users of Apple's mobile and desktop platforms who rely on Safari and other WebKit-based applications for their daily computing activities. The attack scenario typically involves users visiting malicious websites that contain the crafted JavaScript code, which then exploits the WebKit vulnerability to extract information without the user's knowledge or consent, creating a significant privacy and security risk.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability primarily involve updating to the affected software versions that contain the necessary security patches and fixes. Apple released updates for iOS 10.2, Safari 10.0.2, iCloud 6.1, and iTunes 12.5.4 that address this specific flaw in the WebKit component. Organizations and individuals should implement immediate patch management procedures to ensure all affected Apple products receive these security updates. Additionally, security monitoring should include detection of suspicious JavaScript code patterns and browser behavior anomalies that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of maintaining up-to-date software and highlights the need for continuous security assessment of browser components, particularly those that handle user interaction elements like prompts and dialog boxes, which can serve as unexpected attack vectors in modern web applications. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1056.001 for Input Capture and T1059.007 for JavaScript, emphasizing the need for comprehensive browser security controls and user awareness training to prevent exploitation of such information disclosure vulnerabilities.