CVE-2017-2490 in watchOS
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 "Kernel" component. It allows attackers to execute arbitrary code in a privileged context or cause a denial of service (memory corruption) via a crafted app.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/02/2024
This vulnerability resides within the kernel component of Apple's operating systems, representing a critical privilege escalation flaw that affects multiple platforms including iOS, macOS, tvOS, and watchOS. The vulnerability stems from improper memory management within the kernel space, creating an exploitable condition that allows malicious applications to gain elevated privileges. The flaw specifically manifests as a memory corruption issue that occurs when the kernel processes certain inputs from user-space applications, enabling attackers to manipulate kernel memory structures and execute arbitrary code with system-level privileges.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-119, which describes weaknesses in memory management that can lead to buffer overflows, out-of-bounds reads, or other memory corruption issues. Attackers can craft malicious applications that trigger the kernel's memory handling routines in such a way that they can overwrite critical kernel data structures or execute arbitrary code within the privileged kernel context. This represents a fundamental breakdown in the kernel's memory protection mechanisms, as the system fails to properly validate or sanitize inputs from user-space applications before processing them in kernel space.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation, as it can lead to complete system compromise and persistent access for attackers. Once exploited, the malicious code can manipulate system memory to bypass security controls, potentially enabling data exfiltration, system monitoring, or further exploitation of other system components. The memory corruption aspect also introduces potential denial of service scenarios where the kernel's memory structures become corrupted, leading to system instability or complete system crashes. This vulnerability particularly affects systems running versions prior to the security patches, making older installations especially susceptible to exploitation.
From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to several techniques including privilege escalation through kernel exploits and execution of malicious code in privileged contexts. The attack chain typically begins with the delivery of a crafted malicious application, which when executed triggers the kernel vulnerability to achieve code execution with system-level privileges. Organizations should implement immediate patch management procedures to address this vulnerability across all affected platforms, as the window for exploitation remains open for unpatched systems. Additional mitigations include application sandboxing, monitoring for suspicious kernel activity, and maintaining strict control over application installation processes to prevent unauthorized malicious applications from being executed on vulnerable systems.