CVE-2016-7609 in macOS
Summary
by MITRE
An issue was discovered in certain Apple products. macOS before 10.12.2 is affected. The issue involves the "AppleGraphicsPowerManagement" 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 • 10/07/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-7609 represents a critical flaw within Apple's macOS operating system affecting versions prior to 10.12.2. This issue resides within the AppleGraphicsPowerManagement component, which is responsible for managing graphics hardware power states and performance optimization within Apple's ecosystem. The flaw manifests as a NULL pointer dereference condition that can be exploited by local attackers to trigger system instability and denial of service scenarios.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from improper input validation within the graphics power management subsystem. When the AppleGraphicsPowerManagement component processes certain graphics-related requests or power state transitions, it fails to properly validate pointer references before dereferencing them. This NULL pointer dereference occurs in the kernel-level graphics management code, which operates with elevated privileges and direct hardware access. The vulnerability's impact is particularly concerning because it operates at the kernel level where memory corruption can lead to system crashes, reboot cycles, or complete system lockups that prevent normal operation.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to macOS environments as it allows local users to cause system-wide denial of service conditions without requiring external network access or sophisticated attack vectors. The exploitability is relatively straightforward since the attacker only needs local system access to trigger the condition, making it particularly dangerous in multi-user environments or scenarios where untrusted local accounts exist. The vulnerability can be leveraged to disrupt services, cause unexpected system reboots, or force users to manually restart their systems, leading to productivity losses and potential data integrity concerns.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-476 which specifically addresses NULL pointer dereference conditions in software systems, and it demonstrates characteristics consistent with attack patterns found in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under the T1499 category for network denial of service attacks. Organizations should prioritize immediate patch deployment to macOS versions 10.12.2 and later, as these releases contain the necessary fixes to properly validate graphics power management pointers. System administrators should also implement monitoring for unusual system restart patterns or graphics-related kernel panics that might indicate exploitation attempts. Additionally, maintaining updated security patches across all Apple devices within an organization is crucial since this vulnerability affects the entire macOS ecosystem and could potentially be leveraged as a stepping stone for more sophisticated attacks targeting other system components.