CVE-2017-2480 in iTunes
Summary
by MITRE
An issue was discovered in certain Apple products. iOS before 10.3 is affected. Safari before 10.1 is affected. iCloud before 6.2 on Windows is affected. iTunes before 12.6 on Windows is affected. tvOS before 10.2 is affected. The issue involves the "WebKit" component. It allows remote attackers to bypass the Same Origin Policy and obtain sensitive information via a crafted web site.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/16/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-2480 represents a critical security flaw within Apple's WebKit rendering engine that affected multiple Apple operating systems and applications. This vulnerability resides in the core web browsing component that powers Safari, iOS web views, and various other Apple applications that utilize WebKit for web content rendering. The flaw specifically targets the Same Origin Policy implementation, which serves as a fundamental security mechanism in web browsers designed to prevent unauthorized access to resources across different origins. The affected versions include iOS before 10.3, Safari before 10.1, iCloud before 6.2 on Windows, iTunes before 12.6 on Windows, and tvOS before 10.2, indicating a widespread impact across Apple's ecosystem. This vulnerability is classified under CWE-284, which deals with improper access control mechanisms, and falls within the ATT&CK framework's privilege escalation and defense evasion categories.
The technical nature of this vulnerability allows remote attackers to bypass the Same Origin Policy, a critical security feature that restricts web pages from accessing resources from different origins to prevent cross-site scripting attacks and data theft. Attackers can craft malicious websites that exploit this flaw to access sensitive information that should normally be restricted to the same origin. The vulnerability enables unauthorized data access and potential information disclosure, making it particularly dangerous in environments where users might encounter malicious websites. The WebKit component's failure to properly enforce cross-origin restrictions creates a pathway for attackers to access cookies, local storage, session data, and potentially other sensitive information from different domains that should be isolated from each other. This bypass capability undermines the fundamental security model that web browsers rely on to protect user data and maintain privacy boundaries.
The operational impact of CVE-2017-2480 extends beyond individual user privacy concerns to potentially enable more sophisticated attacks that could lead to account takeovers, session hijacking, and data exfiltration. Users of affected Apple products were at risk when visiting malicious websites, as the vulnerability could be exploited without any user interaction beyond navigating to the compromised site. The widespread nature of the affected software components means that the attack surface was extensive, potentially exposing users across multiple Apple platforms and applications that rely on WebKit. Security researchers noted that this vulnerability could be particularly dangerous when combined with other exploits, as it provides the initial foothold for more complex attack chains. The impact was significant enough that Apple issued security updates for all affected platforms, emphasizing the severity of the flaw in their security advisory.
Organizations and users affected by CVE-2017-2480 should prioritize immediate remediation through official Apple security updates, as the vulnerability represents a serious threat to web security and user privacy. The recommended mitigation strategy involves updating to the latest versions of affected Apple software, including iOS 10.3, Safari 10.1, iCloud 6.2, iTunes 12.6, and tvOS 10.2. System administrators should also implement network monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts and consider implementing additional security controls such as web application firewalls and content filtering solutions. The vulnerability highlights the importance of keeping all software components updated, particularly those that handle web content and user data. Security teams should also conduct vulnerability assessments to identify any other potentially affected systems and ensure that proper security monitoring is in place to detect similar vulnerabilities in the future. This incident underscores the critical need for robust web security implementations and continuous security testing of core components like WebKit that form the foundation of web browsing security in modern operating systems.