CVE-2017-13883 in macOS
Summary
by MITRE
An issue was discovered in certain Apple products. macOS before 10.13.2 is affected. The issue involves the "Intel Graphics Driver" 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 • 01/26/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-13883 represents a critical security flaw within Apple's macOS operating system affecting versions prior to 10.13.2. This issue specifically targets the Intel Graphics Driver component, which serves as a fundamental interface between the operating system and graphics hardware. The flaw manifests as a memory corruption vulnerability that can be exploited by malicious actors to gain elevated privileges or disrupt system operations. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple exploitation as it affects the core graphics subsystem that many applications depend upon for rendering and display functionality.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from improper memory handling within the Intel Graphics Driver implementation. When a crafted application attempts to interact with the graphics driver through specific API calls or memory operations, it can trigger memory corruption that leads to arbitrary code execution. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-121, which describes stack-based buffer overflow conditions, though the specific implementation likely involves heap corruption or similar memory management flaws. The vulnerability operates at a privileged context level, meaning successful exploitation could allow attackers to execute code with elevated system privileges rather than mere user-level access.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risk to macOS users and organizations relying on Apple's ecosystem. The ability to execute arbitrary code in a privileged context means that attackers could potentially install malware, modify system files, or establish persistent backdoors without requiring user interaction or explicit privilege escalation. The denial of service component adds another layer of threat as attackers could destabilize systems through memory corruption, leading to unexpected crashes or system hangs that could be exploited for further attacks. This vulnerability particularly affects enterprise environments where macOS devices are widely deployed and where the graphics driver is frequently used by productivity applications, design software, and system utilities.
The exploitation of this vulnerability aligns with tactics described in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under the technique of privilege escalation and code execution. Attackers could leverage this flaw to move laterally within networks or establish persistence through the execution of malicious payloads with system-level privileges. The vulnerability's impact on the graphics driver component means that even seemingly benign applications could serve as attack vectors, making detection and prevention more challenging. Organizations should prioritize patch management and ensure all macOS systems are updated to version 10.13.2 or later to mitigate this risk, as the fix would address the underlying memory corruption issues within the Intel Graphics Driver. Additionally, implementing application whitelisting policies and monitoring for unusual graphics driver activity could help detect potential exploitation attempts.