CVE-2017-13798 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.
If you want to get the best quality for vulnerability data then you always have to consider VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/25/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-13798 represents a critical memory corruption flaw within Apple's WebKit rendering engine that affected multiple Apple platforms and applications. This vulnerability resides in the core web browsing component that powers Safari, iOS web views, and various other Apple applications that utilize WebKit for rendering web content. The flaw manifests as a heap-based buffer overflow or memory corruption issue that occurs when processing specially crafted web content, allowing remote attackers to exploit the vulnerability without requiring any user interaction beyond visiting a malicious website.
The technical nature of this vulnerability places it squarely within CWE-121, which describes heap-based buffer overflow conditions, and CWE-125, which covers out-of-bounds read vulnerabilities. These classifications indicate that the flaw involves improper handling of memory allocation and access patterns within the WebKit component, specifically when processing web content that contains malformed data structures or unexpected input sequences. The vulnerability affects iOS versions prior to 11.1, Safari versions prior to 11.0.1, iCloud for Windows versions prior to 7.1, iTunes for Windows versions prior to 12.7.1, and tvOS versions prior to 11.1, demonstrating the widespread impact across Apple's ecosystem.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risk to users who browse the internet, as it enables remote code execution attacks that can compromise entire systems. Attackers can craft malicious websites that, when loaded in affected browsers or applications, trigger the memory corruption condition and subsequently execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the affected application. This capability allows for complete system compromise, data exfiltration, and persistence mechanisms that could be leveraged for further attacks. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond individual user devices to corporate networks where Apple devices are prevalent, as successful exploitation could provide attackers with access to sensitive corporate data and infrastructure.
The exploitation of this vulnerability aligns with tactics described in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under techniques such as T1059 for command and control through web applications, and T1068 for local privilege escalation. Organizations and users should immediately implement mitigations including updating to the latest supported versions of affected software, implementing network-based protections such as web application firewalls, and deploying browser isolation solutions. Additionally, security teams should monitor for indicators of compromise related to malicious websites and implement network segmentation to limit the potential impact of successful exploitation attempts. The vulnerability underscores the critical importance of keeping all software components updated and maintaining robust security monitoring procedures to detect and respond to exploitation attempts in real-time environments.