CVE-2016-7659 in watchOS
Summary
by MITRE
An issue was discovered in certain Apple products. iOS before 10.2 is affected. macOS before 10.12.2 is affected. watchOS before 3.1.3 is affected. The issue involves the "Audio" component. It allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (memory corruption and application crash) via a crafted file.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/03/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-7659 represents a critical memory corruption flaw within Apple's audio processing subsystem affecting multiple operating systems. This issue resides in the audio component of iOS, macOS, and watchOS platforms, specifically impacting versions prior to 10.2, 10.12.2, and 3.1.3 respectively. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and memory management within the audio handling code, creating a pathway for malicious actors to exploit memory corruption vulnerabilities through crafted audio files. The flaw operates at a fundamental level within the system's audio processing pipeline, where improperly validated audio data can trigger buffer overflows or other memory corruption conditions that compromise system stability and security.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability follows a well-established pattern that aligns with CWE-121, which describes heap-based buffer overflow conditions. Attackers can craft specially designed audio files that, when processed by the affected systems, cause the audio component to write beyond allocated memory boundaries. This memory corruption can manifest in two primary ways: either through arbitrary code execution that allows attackers to gain unauthorized control over affected devices, or through denial of service conditions that cause application crashes and system instability. The vulnerability's remote exploitability means that attackers do not require physical access to devices, enabling them to deliver malicious payloads through various attack vectors including email attachments, web downloads, or malicious applications.
The operational impact of CVE-2016-7659 extends beyond simple system crashes, representing a significant threat to user privacy and device security. When exploited successfully, this vulnerability can enable attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected devices, potentially allowing for complete system compromise. The memory corruption aspects of this flaw can lead to unpredictable behavior including system hangs, application crashes, and in severe cases, complete device lockups. The vulnerability affects a core system component that handles audio processing, making it particularly dangerous as it can be triggered through normal user activities such as playing media files or using applications that process audio content. This makes the attack surface particularly broad and the potential for exploitation highly significant.
Security professionals should note that this vulnerability demonstrates the importance of input validation and memory safety practices in system components handling user-provided data. The flaw's classification aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059, which covers command and script injection, as successful exploitation can lead to arbitrary code execution capabilities. Organizations should prioritize immediate patch deployment across all affected Apple platforms, as the vulnerability's remote exploitability and potential for privilege escalation make it a high-priority threat. The remediation process should include comprehensive testing of patch deployments to ensure compatibility with existing applications and system configurations, while also implementing network monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts. System administrators should consider implementing additional security controls such as application whitelisting and network segmentation to limit the potential impact of successful exploitation attempts, particularly in enterprise environments where affected devices may be used in sensitive operations.