CVE-2017-2515 in Safari
Summary
by MITRE
An issue was discovered in certain Apple products. iOS before 10.3.2 is affected. Safari before 10.1.1 is affected. tvOS before 10.2.1 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 • 07/28/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-2515 represents a critical memory corruption flaw within Apple's WebKit rendering engine that affects multiple operating systems and applications. This security issue resides in the core web browsing component that powers Safari and other Apple applications, making it a particularly dangerous vulnerability given the widespread use of these platforms. The flaw manifests in iOS versions prior to 10.3.2, Safari versions before 10.1.1, and tvOS versions before 10.2.1, indicating a broad attack surface that could potentially compromise millions of devices worldwide. The vulnerability is categorized under CWE-119 which specifically addresses "Improper Access to Memory Location" and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1203 for "Exploitation for Client Execution" in its operational context.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from improper memory handling within WebKit's processing of web content, creating conditions where remote attackers can craft malicious websites designed to trigger memory corruption errors. When users visit these specially crafted web pages, the malicious code can execute arbitrary commands on the target device or cause applications to crash through buffer overflows, use-after-free conditions, or other memory management flaws. The remote exploitation capability means attackers do not need physical access to devices, allowing them to compromise systems simply by delivering malicious web content through various channels including phishing campaigns, compromised websites, or malicious advertisements. This vulnerability represents a classic remote code execution flaw that can be leveraged to establish persistent access to compromised systems.
The operational impact of CVE-2017-2515 extends beyond simple application crashes to potentially enable full system compromise and data exfiltration. Attackers exploiting this vulnerability could gain unauthorized access to sensitive user data, install malicious software, or use the compromised devices as launching points for further attacks within networks. The memory corruption nature suggests that successful exploitation could allow attackers to bypass security mechanisms such as address space layout randomization and stack canaries, making the attack more reliable and potentially leading to privilege escalation. Organizations and individuals using affected Apple products face significant risk, as the vulnerability affects not just personal devices but also enterprise deployments where Apple devices are commonly used for business operations.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2017-2515 primarily focus on immediate system updates and operational security measures. Apple's recommended solution involves updating to the affected operating system versions that contain patches for the WebKit memory corruption issue, specifically iOS 10.3.2, Safari 10.1.1, and tvOS 10.2.1. Network administrators should implement web filtering solutions and browser security controls to prevent access to known malicious domains while monitoring for suspicious web traffic patterns. Additional protective measures include enabling sandboxing features, implementing strict browser security policies, and conducting regular security assessments of web applications and content. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of maintaining current software patches and the potential consequences of delayed updates, as the flaw remained unpatched for several months and could have been exploited by threat actors during this window. Security teams should also consider implementing behavioral monitoring solutions that can detect anomalous application behavior indicative of memory corruption exploitation attempts.