CVE-2017-2467 in tvOS
Summary
by MITRE
An issue was discovered in certain Apple products. iOS before 10.3 is affected. macOS before 10.12.4 is affected. tvOS before 10.2 is affected. watchOS before 3.2 is affected. The issue involves the "ImageIO" component. It allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (memory corruption and application crash) via a crafted file.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/29/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-2467 represents a critical security flaw within Apple's ImageIO framework, which serves as the foundation for image processing and handling across multiple Apple operating systems. This component is responsible for decoding and encoding various image formats including jpeg png and tiff files, making it a prime target for attackers seeking to exploit image processing workflows. The flaw affects a broad range of Apple products including iOS versions prior to 10.3, macOS versions before 10.12.4, tvOS versions before 10.2, and watchOS versions before 3.2, demonstrating the widespread impact of this vulnerability across Apple's ecosystem. The vulnerability stems from improper handling of specially crafted image files that can trigger memory corruption issues within the ImageIO component.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves memory corruption that occurs when the ImageIO framework processes malformed image data structures. Attackers can craft malicious image files that contain specially constructed metadata or image data that causes the framework to allocate or access memory in unintended ways. This memory corruption can manifest as buffer overflows, use-after-free conditions, or other memory management errors that lead to unpredictable behavior. When such files are processed by applications that rely on ImageIO for image handling, the corrupted memory can be leveraged to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the affected application. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it can be triggered through normal image processing workflows without requiring user interaction beyond opening or viewing the malicious file.
The operational impact of CVE-2017-2467 extends beyond simple application crashes to potentially enable full system compromise. Remote attackers can exploit this vulnerability to execute arbitrary code on affected systems, effectively bypassing many traditional security controls that rely on application sandboxing and user permission models. The vulnerability's ability to cause denial of service through memory corruption means that even if code execution is not achieved, the system can be rendered unstable or unusable through repeated exploitation attempts. Applications that process images from untrusted sources including email attachments web content social media downloads and file transfers become potential attack vectors. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it affects core system components that are used extensively across Apple's platform, making it difficult for users to avoid exposure through simple behavioral changes.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2017-2467 require immediate system updates to the latest available versions of affected Apple operating systems. Apple released security updates for iOS 10.3 macOS 10.12.4 tvOS 10.2 and watchOS 3.2 that address the memory corruption issues within the ImageIO framework. Organizations should implement comprehensive patch management procedures to ensure all affected devices receive updates promptly. Network administrators should consider implementing additional security controls such as image file validation and sandboxing mechanisms for applications that process external image content. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-121 which describes heap-based buffer overflow conditions, and represents a classic example of how image processing libraries can become attack surfaces when they fail to properly validate input data. From an attack perspective this vulnerability maps to multiple ATT&CK techniques including execution through malicious file formats and privilege escalation through memory corruption exploits. Security monitoring should focus on detecting unusual image processing activities and potential exploitation attempts through crafted image files that could be delivered via email or web-based attack vectors.