CVE-2017-2362 in Safari
Summary
by MITRE
An issue was discovered in certain Apple products. iOS before 10.2.1 is affected. Safari before 10.0.3 is affected. tvOS before 10.1.1 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.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/03/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-2362 represents a critical memory corruption flaw within Apple's WebKit rendering engine that affects multiple operating systems and applications. This vulnerability resides in the core web browsing component that powers Safari browsers across iOS, macOS, and tvOS platforms, making it particularly dangerous due to the widespread use of these systems. The flaw manifests when WebKit processes maliciously crafted web content, creating a pathway for remote attackers to gain unauthorized execution privileges on affected devices. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple browser exploitation as it can be leveraged to execute arbitrary code or cause system crashes, fundamentally compromising the security posture of affected devices.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from improper memory handling within WebKit's JavaScript engine and rendering components. Attackers can craft malicious web pages containing specially designed code that triggers buffer overflows or memory corruption when processed by the vulnerable browser engine. This type of flaw typically occurs when input validation is insufficient or when memory allocation routines fail to properly handle malformed data structures. The vulnerability's classification aligns with CWE-125, which describes out-of-bounds read conditions, and CWE-787, which covers out-of-bounds write operations. These memory corruption issues provide attackers with opportunities to manipulate program execution flow through techniques such as return-oriented programming or direct code injection.
The operational impact of CVE-2017-2362 is substantial given that iOS 10.2.1 and earlier versions, Safari 10.0.3 and earlier, and tvOS 10.1.1 and earlier all remain vulnerable. The attack surface is particularly broad as these versions were widely deployed across consumer and enterprise environments, making them attractive targets for cybercriminals seeking to exploit zero-day vulnerabilities. The remote execution capability means that users can be compromised simply by visiting malicious websites, without requiring any additional user interaction or installation of malicious software. This characteristic places the vulnerability in the ATT&CK framework under the T1203 - Exploitation for Client Execution tactic, where adversaries leverage software vulnerabilities to execute malicious code on target systems. The potential for both arbitrary code execution and denial of service creates significant risk for organizations relying on Apple products for their computing needs.
Organizations and individual users should prioritize immediate remediation by updating to patched versions of affected software, specifically iOS 10.2.1, Safari 10.0.3, and tvOS 10.1.1 or later. Network security measures including web filtering and sandboxing techniques can provide additional protective layers while awaiting patches. Security teams should implement monitoring for suspicious web traffic patterns and potential exploitation attempts, as this vulnerability could be actively exploited in the wild. The mitigation strategy should also include user education about avoiding untrusted websites and maintaining current security patches across all affected platforms. System administrators should consider implementing browser hardening measures and regular vulnerability assessments to identify and address similar weaknesses in their web-based infrastructure.