CVE-2017-13838 in macOS
Summary
by MITRE
An issue was discovered in certain Apple products. macOS before 10.13.1 is affected. The issue involves the "Sandbox" component. It allows attackers to execute arbitrary code in a privileged context or cause a denial of service (memory corruption) via a crafted app.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/06/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-13838 represents a critical sandbox escape flaw within Apple's macOS operating system affecting versions prior to 10.13.1. This security weakness resides within the sandbox component which is designed to isolate applications and limit their access to system resources and user data. The sandbox mechanism serves as a fundamental security feature that prevents malicious software from accessing sensitive system components or user information while running in a restricted environment. When an attacker can bypass these restrictions, they gain the ability to operate with elevated privileges that should normally be denied to standard applications.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through a crafted application that leverages memory corruption flaws within the sandbox implementation. This memory corruption can manifest as heap overflow conditions or other forms of uncontrolled memory manipulation that allow attackers to overwrite critical system data structures or execute arbitrary code within the privileged context of the operating system. The flaw essentially undermines the core security principle that sandboxed applications should remain isolated from system-level operations and other applications. According to CWE classification, this vulnerability maps to CWE-119 which describes "Improper Access to Resources via Buffer Overflow" and CWE-20 which covers "Improper Input Validation" as the underlying causes that enable such privilege escalation attacks.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple code execution capabilities, as it can result in complete system compromise when attackers leverage the sandbox escape to gain administrative privileges. An attacker could potentially use this vulnerability to install persistent malware, access encrypted user data, monitor system activities, or establish backdoors that remain undetected by standard security measures. The memory corruption aspect of the vulnerability also introduces denial of service risks where system stability could be compromised through carefully crafted malicious applications that trigger crashes or system hangs. This vulnerability particularly affects enterprise environments where macOS systems are widely deployed and where attackers may target specific applications or users to gain broader network access.
Organizations should prioritize immediate deployment of macOS 10.13.1 updates to remediate this vulnerability, as the sandbox escape capability provides attackers with a direct path to system compromise. Security teams should implement additional monitoring for suspicious application behavior and conduct regular vulnerability assessments to identify any remaining system weaknesses. The mitigation strategy should include comprehensive endpoint protection solutions that can detect anomalous behavior patterns associated with privilege escalation attempts. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability aligns with techniques such as T1068 "Exploitation for Privilege Escalation" and T1059 "Command and Scripting Interpreter" as attackers could leverage the sandbox escape to execute malicious commands with elevated privileges. System administrators should also consider implementing additional application whitelisting policies and monitoring for unauthorized application installations that could potentially exploit similar sandbox vulnerabilities.