CVE-2017-2373 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 • 03/15/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-2373 represents a critical memory corruption flaw within Apple's WebKit rendering engine that affected multiple Apple operating systems including iOS versions prior to 10.2.1, Safari versions prior to 10.0.3, and tvOS versions prior to 10.1.1. This vulnerability resides in the WebKit component which serves as the core web rendering engine powering Safari browsers and web content display across Apple's ecosystem. The flaw manifests as a heap-based buffer overflow or memory corruption issue that occurs when processing maliciously crafted web content, creating a significant attack surface for remote threat actors.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and memory management within WebKit's JavaScript engine and HTML parsing components. Attackers can exploit this weakness by hosting malicious web content on compromised websites or through phishing campaigns that, when loaded in Safari or other affected Apple browsers, trigger the memory corruption. The flaw enables remote code execution capabilities, allowing attackers to gain arbitrary code execution privileges on the target system, or alternatively cause denial of service conditions that result in application crashes and system instability. This vulnerability directly maps to CWE-121 heap-based buffer overflow and CWE-125 out-of-bounds read conditions commonly found in web rendering engines.
The operational impact of CVE-2017-2373 extends beyond simple exploitation as it represents a persistent threat vector that could be leveraged for advanced persistent threats against Apple device users. The vulnerability's remote exploitability means that users need not interact with malicious files directly but can be compromised simply by visiting a malicious website. This characteristic aligns with ATT&CK technique T1203 legitimate credentials and T1059 command and scripting interpreter, as attackers could potentially use this vulnerability to establish persistent access to compromised systems. The attack surface includes mobile users, enterprise environments, and any organization relying on Apple devices for web browsing, making this vulnerability particularly concerning from a cybersecurity perspective.
Organizations and individual users should immediately apply the relevant security patches provided by Apple to mitigate this vulnerability. The recommended mitigation strategy includes updating to iOS 10.2.1, Safari 10.0.3, and tvOS 10.1.1 or later versions. System administrators should implement network monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts and consider deploying web application firewalls or content filtering solutions to block access to known malicious domains. Additionally, user education regarding safe browsing practices and the importance of keeping software updated remains crucial in defending against this class of vulnerability. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of regular security assessments and vulnerability management programs to identify and remediate similar issues before they can be exploited in the wild.