CVE-2016-7645 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 execute arbitrary code 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-2016-7645 represents a critical memory corruption 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 in the core web rendering component that processes and displays web content across Apple's ecosystem, making it a particularly dangerous issue given the widespread use of these applications. The flaw enables remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause denial of service conditions through maliciously crafted websites, effectively creating a pathway for attackers to compromise user devices without requiring physical access or user interaction beyond visiting a compromised website.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from improper memory handling within the WebKit component, specifically involving memory corruption issues that can lead to unpredictable behavior and potential code execution. According to CWE classification, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-125, which describes out-of-bounds read conditions, and CWE-787, which covers out-of-bounds write conditions. These memory corruption vulnerabilities typically arise when applications fail to properly validate input data or when buffer management routines contain flaws that allow attackers to manipulate memory locations. The WebKit engine's complex architecture for processing web content, including JavaScript execution, HTML parsing, and CSS rendering, creates multiple potential attack vectors where malicious input could trigger the underlying memory corruption.
The operational impact of CVE-2016-7645 extends beyond simple application crashes or denial of service conditions, as it provides attackers with the capability to execute arbitrary code on affected systems. This remote code execution capability means that adversaries could potentially install malware, steal user data, or establish persistent access to compromised devices. The vulnerability's presence in widely used applications like Safari, iTunes, and iCloud increases the attack surface significantly, as users frequently interact with these applications in environments where they may encounter malicious websites. The memory corruption aspect of the flaw also introduces potential for system instability, making the impact unpredictable and potentially severe across different device configurations and usage scenarios.
From a threat modeling perspective, this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter, and T1068 for exploit for privilege escalation, as the remote code execution capability could enable attackers to gain elevated privileges on compromised systems. The remediation strategy for this vulnerability required immediate patching of affected Apple products through software updates, with Apple releasing iOS 10.2, Safari 10.0.2, iCloud 6.1, and iTunes 12.5.4 to address the memory corruption issues. Security professionals should have implemented network monitoring to detect exploitation attempts and ensured timely deployment of patches across all affected systems. Organizations should have also considered network segmentation and web filtering measures to reduce exposure while awaiting patches, particularly given the remote nature of the attack vector that does not require user interaction beyond visiting a malicious website.