CVE-2017-7004 in iOS
Summary
by MITRE
An issue was discovered in certain Apple products. iOS before 10.3.2 is affected. macOS before 10.12.5 is affected. The issue involves the "Security" component. A race condition allows attackers to bypass intended entitlement restrictions for sending XPC messages via a crafted app.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/19/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-7004 represents a critical race condition flaw within Apple's security framework affecting multiple operating systems including iOS versions prior to 10.3.2 and macOS versions prior to 10.12.5. This issue resides within the Security component of Apple's operating systems and specifically targets the entitlement restriction mechanisms that govern XPC message transmission between processes. The race condition occurs during the validation process of XPC message delivery, creating a temporal window where security checks can be circumvented. This vulnerability falls under CWE-362 which categorizes race conditions as a fundamental weakness in software design that can lead to security breaches through improper synchronization of concurrent operations. The flaw enables attackers to exploit the timing gap in entitlement verification to send XPC messages that would normally be restricted based on application permissions or privileges.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability relies on the attacker's ability to craft a malicious application that can manipulate the timing of XPC message transmission to bypass the entitlement validation process. During the race condition window, the system's security checks may not yet have fully validated the sender's permissions, allowing unauthorized XPC messages to be delivered successfully. This represents a sophisticated bypass mechanism that exploits the temporal nature of security validation rather than attacking the validation logic itself. The XPC (Cross-Process Communication) mechanism is fundamental to macOS and iOS architecture, enabling secure inter-process communication between applications and system services. When attackers can manipulate this communication channel through race condition exploitation, they gain access to privileged operations that should be restricted to authorized applications only.
The operational impact of CVE-2017-7004 extends beyond simple privilege escalation as it provides attackers with a method to circumvent core security protections that are essential for maintaining system integrity. This vulnerability enables potential access to system-level services and data that should be protected from unauthorized access, creating pathways for further exploitation including privilege escalation to root access. The implications are particularly concerning given that XPC communication is used extensively throughout Apple's operating systems for both application functionality and system services. Attackers could potentially leverage this flaw to gain unauthorized access to sensitive system resources, manipulate system processes, or establish persistent access points within affected systems. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1055 which covers process injection and privilege escalation techniques, as the race condition allows for unauthorized process communication that can be used to elevate privileges or access restricted system components.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2017-7004 require immediate system updates to the patched versions of iOS 10.3.2 and macOS 10.12.5 which contain the necessary fixes for the race condition. Apple's security update addresses the temporal validation gap by implementing proper synchronization mechanisms that prevent the race condition from occurring during XPC message delivery. Organizations should prioritize deployment of these security patches across all affected systems and implement monitoring for suspicious XPC communication patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. Additional defensive measures include enhanced application sandboxing, monitoring of XPC message traffic, and regular security assessments of system components that rely on inter-process communication. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of the importance of proper synchronization in security-critical code and demonstrates how seemingly minor timing issues can create significant security weaknesses in operating system components. Security teams should also consider implementing network-based detection mechanisms to identify potential exploitation attempts through unusual XPC message patterns or unauthorized communication between processes.