CVE-2016-7603 in macOS
Summary
by MITRE
An issue was discovered in certain Apple products. macOS before 10.12.2 is affected. The issue involves the "CoreStorage" component. It allows local users to cause a denial of service (NULL pointer dereference) via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/19/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-7603 represents a critical flaw within Apple's CoreStorage framework affecting macOS versions prior to 10.12.2. This issue manifests as a NULL pointer dereference condition that can be exploited by local attackers to disrupt system operations. CoreStorage serves as Apple's logical volume management system that handles disk encryption and volume management functionalities, making it a fundamental component of the operating system's storage architecture. The vulnerability specifically impacts the way the system handles certain storage operations, creating a scenario where a null pointer reference can be triggered during normal operation sequences.
The technical nature of this vulnerability falls under CWE-476, which categorizes NULL pointer dereferences as a common software weakness that can lead to system instability and denial of service conditions. Attackers can exploit this weakness by manipulating CoreStorage operations in ways that cause the system to attempt to dereference a null pointer reference, resulting in kernel panics and system crashes. This particular vulnerability does not require elevated privileges for exploitation since it operates within the context of local user access, making it particularly dangerous as it can be leveraged by malicious software or compromised user accounts to systematically disrupt system functionality. The attack surface is broad as CoreStorage is integral to disk operations, encryption handling, and volume management across all macOS installations.
The operational impact of CVE-2016-7603 extends beyond simple system instability, potentially creating cascading failures in storage operations and encryption services. When a NULL pointer dereference occurs within CoreStorage, it can trigger kernel-level crashes that affect the entire system's ability to manage storage volumes, potentially leading to data loss or corruption during critical operations. The vulnerability's persistence across multiple macOS versions indicates a fundamental flaw in the system's memory management and pointer validation within the CoreStorage subsystem, making it a persistent threat that required significant system updates to resolve. Organizations relying on macOS systems for business operations would face substantial downtime and potential data integrity issues when this vulnerability was present.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2016-7603 primarily involve immediate system updates to macOS 10.12.2 or later versions where Apple has patched the CoreStorage implementation to properly validate pointer references. Security administrators should prioritize patch deployment across all affected systems, particularly in enterprise environments where multiple macOS installations may be running vulnerable versions. Additional protective measures include implementing robust system monitoring to detect kernel panics or unusual system behavior that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of maintaining current system patches and following Apple's security advisories, as it demonstrates how seemingly minor flaws in core system components can lead to significant operational disruptions. Organizations should also consider implementing network segmentation and access controls to limit local user privileges where possible, reducing the attack surface for such local privilege escalation vulnerabilities.