CVE-2017-7009 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. watchOS before 3.2.3 is affected. The issue involves the "IOUSBFamily" component. It allows attackers to execute arbitrary code in a privileged context or cause a denial of service (memory corruption) via a crafted app.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/05/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-7009 represents a critical security flaw within Apple's operating systems affecting multiple platforms including iOS, macOS, tvOS, and watchOS. This vulnerability resides within the IOUSBFamily component which serves as the core framework for USB device management and communication within Apple's ecosystem. The flaw manifests as a memory corruption issue that can be exploited by malicious applications to gain unauthorized access to privileged system resources, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution or system instability.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from improper handling of USB device connections and data processing within the IOUSBFamily framework. When a malicious application attempts to establish a USB connection or process specific USB-related data structures, the system fails to properly validate input parameters, leading to memory corruption conditions. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-125, which describes "Out-of-bounds Read" conditions, and CWE-787, which covers "Out-of-bounds Write" scenarios that can result in memory corruption. The flaw specifically affects versions where USB device handling routines lack proper bounds checking and input validation mechanisms, creating potential attack vectors through crafted USB device interactions.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends across Apple's entire product portfolio, as all affected versions of iOS, macOS, tvOS, and watchOS are susceptible to exploitation. Attackers can leverage this weakness by developing malicious applications that establish USB connections with specially crafted data payloads, potentially executing code with kernel-level privileges or causing system crashes and denial of service conditions. The privilege escalation aspect of this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1068, which covers "Exploitation for Privilege Escalation" and represents a significant concern for mobile and desktop security environments where users may unknowingly install malicious applications from untrusted sources.
Apple addressed this vulnerability through security updates released as part of iOS 10.3.3, macOS 10.12.6, tvOS 10.2.2, and watchOS 3.2.3. These patches implemented improved input validation mechanisms within the IOUSBFamily component and strengthened memory management routines to prevent the exploitation scenarios described in the vulnerability. Organizations should prioritize immediate deployment of these security updates across all affected Apple devices, particularly in enterprise environments where USB device connectivity is common. Additionally, security teams should implement monitoring solutions to detect suspicious USB device connections and application behavior that might indicate exploitation attempts, while maintaining awareness of the broader implications for USB-based attack vectors in mobile and desktop computing environments.