CVE-2017-7008 in macOS
Summary
by MITRE
An issue was discovered in certain Apple products. iOS before 10.3.3 is affected. macOS before 10.12.6 is affected. tvOS before 10.2.2 is affected. The issue involves the "CoreAudio" component. It allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (memory corruption and application crash) via a crafted movie file.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/05/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-7008 represents a critical memory corruption flaw within Apple's CoreAudio framework affecting multiple operating systems including iOS versions prior to 10.3.3, macOS versions prior to 10.12.6, and tvOS versions prior to 10.2.2. This issue stems from improper handling of crafted movie files during audio processing operations, creating a pathway for remote attackers to potentially execute arbitrary code or induce system crashes. The CoreAudio component serves as the foundational audio processing framework in Apple's ecosystem, responsible for managing audio input and output operations across various applications and system services. When a maliciously crafted movie file is processed through this framework, the vulnerability manifests through buffer overflows or memory corruption conditions that can be exploited to gain unauthorized system access or disrupt normal operations.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when a specially crafted movie file containing malformed audio metadata or stream data is processed by applications utilizing CoreAudio for media playback. The flaw exists in how the framework parses and handles specific audio codec parameters within the movie container format, particularly when dealing with audio tracks that contain oversized or malformed data structures. Attackers can construct movie files with maliciously crafted audio parameters that, when processed by CoreAudio, trigger memory corruption conditions leading to unpredictable behavior. This type of vulnerability aligns with CWE-121, which describes heap-based buffer overflow conditions, and CWE-125, which covers out-of-bounds read errors. The exploitation mechanism leverages the framework's insufficient input validation and memory management practices, allowing attackers to manipulate memory layout and potentially execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the affected application.
The operational impact of CVE-2017-7008 extends beyond simple denial of service scenarios to encompass potential system compromise and unauthorized code execution. When exploited successfully, this vulnerability enables attackers to execute arbitrary commands on affected systems, potentially leading to complete system compromise or data exfiltration. The remote nature of the attack means that users need not interact directly with malicious content for exploitation to occur, as the vulnerability can be triggered through automated processing of media files in web browsers, email clients, or other applications that utilize CoreAudio for audio handling. This characteristic places the vulnerability in the ATT&CK framework under the T1059 technique category for command and scripting interpreter, as attackers can leverage the executed code to perform further malicious activities. The vulnerability affects a broad range of Apple devices and applications, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited across multiple platforms and use cases.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2017-7008 primarily focus on immediate system updates and patch management, as Apple released security updates addressing this specific vulnerability in their respective operating system versions. Organizations should prioritize updating all affected devices to the latest supported versions, ensuring that iOS 10.3.3, macOS 10.12.6, and tvOS 10.2.2 or later are deployed across all systems. Additionally, network administrators should implement content filtering measures to prevent the delivery of potentially malicious movie files through email attachments, web downloads, or other network channels. Security monitoring should include detection of unusual audio processing activities or memory allocation patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of input validation and memory safety practices in audio processing frameworks, highlighting the need for robust sanitization of media file inputs. System administrators should also consider implementing application sandboxing and privilege separation mechanisms to limit the potential impact of successful exploitation attempts, particularly in enterprise environments where multiple users may be exposed to potentially malicious content.