CVE-2017-13822 in macOS
Summary
by MITRE
An issue was discovered in certain Apple products. macOS before 10.13.1 is affected. The issue involves the "Quick Look" component. It allows attackers to bypass intended memory-read restrictions via a crafted app.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/06/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-13822 represents a significant security flaw within Apple's macOS operating system affecting versions prior to 10.13.1. This issue specifically targets the Quick Look component, which is an integral part of the macOS user interface designed to provide users with a quick preview of files without opening them in their respective applications. The Quick Look functionality has become a widely used feature across various macOS applications and system utilities, making it a critical component that requires robust security controls. The vulnerability stems from insufficient memory access controls within the Quick Look implementation, creating a potential pathway for malicious actors to circumvent the operating system's memory protection mechanisms. This flaw allows attackers to execute unauthorized memory reads that should normally be restricted to legitimate processes, effectively breaking the memory isolation that protects system integrity and user data confidentiality.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the manipulation of crafted applications that leverage the Quick Look component's processing behavior. When a malicious application triggers the Quick Look preview functionality, the vulnerability enables attackers to access memory regions that would typically be protected from unauthorized access. This bypass mechanism operates at the kernel level memory management controls, where the operating system's memory protection units fail to properly enforce access restrictions. The flaw essentially allows privilege escalation through a user-space application that can manipulate memory read operations, effectively creating a backdoor for information disclosure attacks. This type of vulnerability falls under the CWE-264 category of "Permissions, Privileges, and Access Controls" and represents a critical failure in the operating system's memory protection architecture. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this as a privilege escalation technique through exploitation of application vulnerabilities, specifically targeting the operating system's memory management subsystem.
The operational impact of CVE-2017-13822 extends beyond simple information disclosure, as it enables attackers to potentially extract sensitive data from protected memory regions. This includes but is not limited to user credentials, personal documents, application data, and system configuration information that may be stored in memory during Quick Look operations. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it requires no special privileges to exploit, making it accessible to any user with the ability to run applications on the affected system. Attackers can craft malicious applications that, when processed through Quick Look, can access memory areas containing sensitive information such as passwords stored in memory buffers, cryptographic keys, or other confidential data. The implications are severe for enterprise environments where macOS systems may be running unpatched versions, potentially exposing corporate data to unauthorized access. The vulnerability also affects the overall security posture of macOS systems by undermining the fundamental memory protection mechanisms that separate user processes from system resources, creating a potential vector for more sophisticated attacks that could leverage this initial access for further compromise.
Organizations and users should immediately implement mitigations to address this vulnerability by upgrading to macOS 10.13.1 or later versions where Apple has provided a comprehensive fix. The patch addresses the underlying memory access control issues within the Quick Look component by implementing stricter validation of memory access requests and enhancing the enforcement of memory protection boundaries. System administrators should conduct immediate inventory checks to identify all affected macOS systems and ensure timely deployment of the security update. Additional protective measures include disabling Quick Look functionality for untrusted applications through system configuration profiles and implementing network monitoring to detect anomalous memory access patterns that could indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability highlights the importance of keeping operating systems current with security patches and demonstrates the critical nature of memory protection mechanisms in preventing unauthorized data access. Organizations should also consider implementing application whitelisting policies that restrict execution of potentially malicious applications that could exploit this vulnerability. The fix provided by Apple demonstrates the company's response to such memory protection failures and reinforces the need for continuous security auditing of system components that handle user input and file processing operations.