CVE-2017-13835 in macOS
Summary
by MITRE • 12/23/2021
A memory corruption issue was addressed with improved memory handling. This issue is fixed in macOS High Sierra 10.13. An application may be able to execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/27/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-13835 represents a critical memory corruption flaw that existed within macOS High Sierra 10.13 operating system. This issue stemmed from inadequate memory management practices that allowed malicious applications to exploit memory handling mechanisms and potentially execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges. The flaw was particularly concerning because it could be leveraged by an application to gain root-level access to affected systems, fundamentally compromising the security posture of macOS installations. The vulnerability was classified as a memory corruption issue, which typically arises when software attempts to access memory locations outside of its allocated boundaries or manipulates memory in ways that violate established safety protocols.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involved improper memory handling within the kernel or system-level components of macOS. Attackers could potentially craft malicious applications that would trigger memory corruption conditions, leading to privilege escalation scenarios where normal user applications could gain administrative privileges. This type of vulnerability falls under the CWE-121 category of "Stack-based Buffer Overflow" or similar memory corruption patterns that have been extensively documented in security literature. The exploitation mechanism likely involved manipulating memory allocation patterns or exploiting race conditions during memory operations that could result in memory corruption and subsequent privilege escalation.
The operational impact of CVE-2017-13835 was significant for macOS users and organizations relying on High Sierra systems. Systems running affected versions of macOS were vulnerable to attacks that could result in complete system compromise, allowing malicious actors to execute arbitrary code with root privileges. This capability enabled attackers to install persistent backdoors, exfiltrate sensitive data, modify system files, and potentially establish long-term access to compromised systems. The vulnerability affected the core security model of macOS, potentially undermining the system's ability to enforce privilege separation between user applications and system-level processes. Organizations using macOS High Sierra 10.13 were particularly at risk as this vulnerability could be exploited without requiring user interaction, making it a highly dangerous flaw in the operating system's security architecture.
The remediation for CVE-2017-13835 was addressed through the release of macOS High Sierra 10.13, which included improved memory handling mechanisms designed to prevent the exploitation conditions that led to the vulnerability. System administrators were strongly advised to upgrade to the patched version immediately to protect their environments from potential exploitation. The fix likely involved implementing stricter memory validation checks, enhancing kernel memory management routines, and improving the overall memory safety mechanisms within the operating system. Security professionals should have monitored for indicators of compromise related to this vulnerability and implemented additional security controls such as application whitelisting, system integrity protection measures, and network monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts. This vulnerability highlighted the importance of maintaining up-to-date operating system versions and demonstrated how memory corruption issues can lead to severe privilege escalation scenarios that fundamentally compromise system security.