CVE-2017-13783 in iOS
Summary
by MITRE
An issue was discovered in certain Apple products. iOS before 11.1 is affected. Safari before 11.0.1 is affected. iCloud before 7.1 on Windows is affected. iTunes before 12.7.1 on Windows is affected. tvOS before 11.1 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 • 06/01/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-13783 represents a critical memory corruption flaw within Apple's WebKit rendering engine that affects multiple operating systems and applications. This vulnerability resides in the core web browsing component responsible for rendering web content across Apple's ecosystem, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited through standard web browsing activities. The affected versions include iOS 11.0 and earlier, Safari 11.0.0 and earlier, iCloud 7.0 and earlier on Windows, iTunes 12.7.0 and earlier on Windows, and tvOS 11.0 and earlier, indicating the widespread impact across Apple's platform portfolio. The vulnerability specifically targets the WebKit component which serves as the foundation for web content rendering in Apple's browsers and applications, making it a prime target for attackers seeking to compromise user systems through malicious web content.
The technical nature of this vulnerability involves memory corruption that can be triggered through specially crafted web pages designed to exploit specific memory handling flaws within the WebKit engine. When users visit compromised websites or encounter malicious web content, the vulnerability allows attackers to execute arbitrary code on the target system or cause application crashes that result in denial of service conditions. This memory corruption vulnerability typically manifests through buffer overflows, use-after-free conditions, or other memory management errors that occur during web page rendering processes. The flaw enables attackers to manipulate memory structures in ways that can bypass security protections and execute malicious payloads with the privileges of the affected application, potentially leading to complete system compromise.
The operational impact of CVE-2017-13783 extends beyond simple denial of service scenarios as it provides attackers with the capability to achieve remote code execution on vulnerable systems. This represents a significant threat to user security since it can be exploited through standard web browsing activities without requiring any special privileges or user interaction beyond visiting a malicious website. The vulnerability affects not just web browsers but also integrated applications like iCloud and iTunes that utilize WebKit for web content rendering, creating multiple attack vectors for potential exploitation. Users who regularly browse the internet or access web-based services through affected Apple applications face substantial risk, particularly since the exploitation can occur automatically without user knowledge or consent, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise and consumer environments.
Organizations and individual users should immediately apply the security updates released by Apple to mitigate this vulnerability, as the affected versions represent a significant security risk. The recommended mitigation strategy includes updating to iOS 11.1, Safari 11.0.1, iCloud 7.1, iTunes 12.7.1, and tvOS 11.1 or later versions. Security administrators should also implement network monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts and consider deploying web content filtering solutions to block access to known malicious websites. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-119, which describes weaknesses in memory management, and represents a typical example of how browser-based vulnerabilities can be leveraged for remote code execution. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this as a remote code execution technique that can be achieved through web-based attacks, emphasizing the importance of maintaining up-to-date software and implementing layered security controls to protect against such exploits.