CVE-2017-2539 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. 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-2017-2539 represents a critical memory corruption flaw within Apple's WebKit rendering engine that affected multiple iOS and Safari versions. This vulnerability resides in the core web browsing component responsible for processing and rendering web content across Apple's ecosystem. The flaw specifically impacts iOS versions prior to 10.3.2 and Safari versions before 10.1.1, creating a significant attack surface that could be exploited by remote threat actors. The WebKit component serves as the foundation for Safari's web rendering capabilities and is also utilized by other Apple applications including Mail, Messages, and various system components, amplifying the potential impact of this vulnerability across the entire Apple platform ecosystem.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from improper memory handling within the WebKit engine that occurs when processing crafted web content. Attackers can construct malicious websites containing specifically designed code or content that triggers memory corruption conditions when the affected browser attempts to render these pages. This memory corruption can manifest in two primary ways: arbitrary code execution capabilities that allow attackers to run malicious software on vulnerable systems, or denial of service conditions that cause applications to crash and become unavailable to legitimate users. The flaw likely involves buffer overflows, use-after-free conditions, or other memory management errors that occur during the parsing or rendering of web elements such as JavaScript, HTML, or CSS components. These memory corruption issues typically arise from insufficient input validation or improper memory deallocation processes within the WebKit rendering pipeline, creating exploitable conditions that can be leveraged by remote attackers without requiring local system access or user interaction beyond visiting the malicious website.
The operational impact of CVE-2017-2539 extends beyond simple application crashes, as the vulnerability enables sophisticated attack vectors that could compromise entire user devices. When exploited successfully, this vulnerability could allow attackers to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the affected application, potentially leading to complete system compromise, data theft, or persistent backdoor installation. The remote nature of the attack means that users could be compromised simply by visiting malicious websites, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous in phishing campaigns or compromised website scenarios. The denial of service aspect creates additional operational concerns as it can render Safari and other affected applications unusable, disrupting legitimate user activities and potentially causing productivity losses. Organizations and individuals using affected Apple products face significant risk exposure, as the vulnerability affects widely deployed software components that are integral to daily computing activities.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate patching of affected systems to ensure proper security remediation. Apple released iOS 10.3.2 and Safari 10.1.1 updates that address the memory corruption issues within WebKit, and system administrators should prioritize deployment of these security patches across all affected devices. Additional protective measures include implementing web content filtering solutions, disabling JavaScript in web browsers when not required, and maintaining awareness of suspicious website activity. Organizations should consider implementing network-level protections such as web proxies with content filtering capabilities and monitoring for unusual network traffic patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-119, which addresses "Improper Access to Memory Location" and represents a classic memory corruption vulnerability that enables privilege escalation and arbitrary code execution. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving initial access through malicious web content and privilege escalation, potentially enabling lateral movement within compromised networks. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify any remaining unpatched systems, as this vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of maintaining current security patches in mobile and desktop environments.