CVE-2017-2415 in tvOS
Summary
by MITRE
An issue was discovered in certain Apple products. iOS before 10.3 is affected. Safari before 10.1 is affected. tvOS before 10.2 is affected. watchOS before 3.2 is affected. The issue involves the "WebKit" component. It allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code by leveraging an unspecified "type confusion."
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/22/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-2415 represents a critical type confusion flaw within Apple's WebKit rendering engine that affected multiple Apple operating systems including iOS versions prior to 10.3, Safari versions prior to 10.1, tvOS versions prior to 10.2, and watchOS versions prior to 3.2. This type confusion vulnerability resides in the WebKit component which is responsible for rendering web content across Apple's ecosystem, making it a prime target for remote exploitation. The flaw stems from improper handling of data types during JavaScript execution, where the WebKit engine fails to properly validate type information when processing objects, leading to potential memory corruption scenarios. According to CWE-466, this vulnerability specifically maps to the weakness of returning a pointer to an object of the wrong type, which creates opportunities for attackers to manipulate memory layout and execute arbitrary code.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when remote attackers craft malicious web content that triggers the type confusion within WebKit's JavaScript engine. When a user visits a compromised website or receives malicious content through web-based communication channels, the WebKit engine processes the malformed data structures in a manner that causes objects to be interpreted with incorrect types. This misinterpretation leads to memory corruption that can be leveraged to overwrite critical memory locations, ultimately enabling attackers to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the affected application. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it operates at the browser level and can be triggered through standard web browsing activities without requiring any user interaction beyond visiting a malicious site.
The operational impact of CVE-2017-2415 extends across Apple's entire ecosystem of devices that rely on WebKit for web content rendering, creating a significant attack surface that adversaries can exploit to gain unauthorized access to user devices. Mobile devices, smart TVs, and wearables all share the same underlying WebKit component, meaning a single exploit could potentially compromise multiple device types. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1203 by enabling remote code execution through web-based attack vectors, while also supporting T1059 for executing commands within the compromised environment. Organizations and individual users face the risk of data theft, privacy violations, and complete device compromise, as the vulnerability allows attackers to establish persistent access to affected systems. The remote nature of the attack means that users cannot protect themselves through simple behavioral changes, as the exploitation occurs automatically when visiting malicious web content.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2017-2415 require immediate patching of affected systems, with Apple releasing iOS 10.3, Safari 10.1, tvOS 10.2, and watchOS 3.2 updates to address the underlying type confusion issue. Security administrators should implement network-level protections such as web application firewalls and content filtering solutions to block access to known malicious domains. Browser hardening measures including disabling JavaScript on untrusted sites, implementing sandboxing mechanisms, and regularly updating browser components provide additional defense layers. Organizations should also consider deploying endpoint detection and response solutions that can monitor for suspicious memory access patterns and unusual code execution behaviors that may indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability highlights the importance of maintaining up-to-date software across all device types and implementing robust patch management processes to prevent exploitation of similar type confusion vulnerabilities in the future.