CVE-2017-2525 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 • 12/24/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-2525 represents a critical memory corruption flaw within Apple's WebKit rendering engine that affected multiple Apple operating systems including iOS versions prior to 10.3.2 Safari versions before 10.1.1 and tvOS versions before 10.2.1. This vulnerability resides in the WebKit component which serves as the core rendering engine for Safari and other Apple web-based applications. The flaw manifests as a remote code execution vulnerability that can be triggered through maliciously crafted websites, making it particularly dangerous for users who browse the internet without proper security protections. The vulnerability's classification aligns with CWE-119 which describes weaknesses related to memory safety and improper handling of memory access patterns that can lead to arbitrary code execution or system crashes. Attackers could exploit this vulnerability by hosting malicious web content that, when loaded in Safari or other affected applications, would trigger the memory corruption issue.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves improper memory management within the WebKit engine's JavaScript engine execution environment. When a user visits a specially crafted webpage containing malicious JavaScript code or other web content designed to trigger the specific memory corruption pattern, the WebKit engine fails to properly validate memory access operations. This leads to a situation where attacker-controlled data can overwrite critical memory locations or execute arbitrary code within the context of the Safari application process. The vulnerability operates at the intersection of multiple attack vectors including heap corruption and stack manipulation techniques that are commonly leveraged in browser-based exploitation frameworks. The memory corruption can manifest as either arbitrary code execution allowing full system compromise or denial of service conditions that cause application crashes and system instability.
The operational impact of CVE-2017-2525 extends beyond simple application crashes to represent a significant threat to user security and system integrity across Apple's ecosystem. Mobile users running affected iOS versions were particularly vulnerable as they frequently accessed web content through Safari and other applications that rely on WebKit. The vulnerability could be exploited through various attack vectors including phishing campaigns, malicious advertisements, or compromised websites that would automatically execute the malicious payload when loaded in the affected browser. This represents a classic zero-day exploit scenario where attackers could leverage the vulnerability to gain unauthorized access to user devices, potentially accessing sensitive data, installing malware, or using the compromised device as a launch point for further attacks. The vulnerability's impact was particularly severe because it affected not just individual applications but the entire WebKit rendering engine that powers multiple Apple applications and services.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2017-2525 focused primarily on immediate system updates and patch management as recommended by Apple's security advisories. Users were advised to upgrade to the latest available versions of iOS Safari and tvOS to receive the security patches that addressed the underlying memory corruption issue. Additionally, security professionals recommended implementing network-level protections such as web application firewalls and content filtering systems to block access to known malicious domains. The vulnerability's exploitation required user interaction through web browsing, making user education and awareness programs valuable defensive measures. Organizations implementing security controls should have monitored for the vulnerability using vulnerability scanning tools and ensured that all Apple devices within their network were updated to patched versions. This vulnerability exemplifies the importance of maintaining up-to-date software and the risks associated with running unsupported or outdated operating systems. The attack pattern for this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1203 which describes exploitation of software vulnerabilities for remote code execution, demonstrating how such flaws can be leveraged as initial access vectors in broader attack campaigns.