CVE-2017-7012 in iTunes
Summary
by MITRE
An issue was discovered in certain Apple products. iOS before 10.3.3 is affected. Safari before 10.1.2 is affected. iCloud before 6.2.2 on Windows is affected. iTunes before 12.6.2 on Windows is affected. The issue involves the "WebKit Web Inspector" 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 • 01/06/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-7012 represents a critical security flaw within Apple's WebKit Web Inspector component that affected multiple Apple products including iOS versions prior to 10.3.3, Safari versions before 10.1.2, iCloud for Windows versions before 6.2.2, and iTunes for Windows versions before 12.6.2. This vulnerability falls under the category of memory corruption issues that can be exploited remotely through maliciously crafted web content, making it particularly dangerous in web browsing environments where users frequently encounter untrusted content. The WebKit Web Inspector is a debugging tool that allows developers to inspect and debug web pages, but when improperly handled, it can become an attack vector for malicious actors seeking to compromise user systems.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from improper handling of memory operations within the WebKit Web Inspector component when processing specially crafted web content. Attackers can construct malicious websites that, when loaded in affected browsers, trigger memory corruption conditions that lead to arbitrary code execution or denial of service scenarios. This memory corruption typically occurs during the processing of web inspector elements or when handling specific web content that exploits buffer overflows, use-after-free conditions, or other memory management flaws within the WebKit rendering engine. The vulnerability demonstrates a classic software security weakness where insufficient input validation and memory management practices create opportunities for attackers to manipulate program execution flow and gain unauthorized system access.
The operational impact of CVE-2017-7012 is significant across Apple's ecosystem, as it affects widely used applications including the primary web browser Safari, mobile operating system iOS, and desktop synchronization software like iCloud and iTunes. Users of affected versions face potential risks including complete system compromise through remote code execution, data theft, or service disruption through denial of service attacks. The vulnerability's exploitation requires only that users visit a malicious website, making it particularly dangerous for general internet users who may inadvertently encounter compromised web content. Organizations using Apple products in enterprise environments face increased risk of targeted attacks, especially since the vulnerability affects both mobile and desktop platforms, potentially creating multiple attack vectors for threat actors.
Security professionals should note that this vulnerability aligns with CWE-119 (Improper Access to Memory) and CWE-125 (Out-of-bounds Read) categories, representing common memory safety issues that can lead to arbitrary code execution. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques such as T1059 (Command and Scripting Interpreter) and T1106 (Native API) as attackers can leverage the memory corruption to execute malicious code through legitimate system interfaces. The vulnerability's remote exploitability and potential for privilege escalation make it particularly concerning for security teams responsible for protecting Apple-based environments, requiring immediate patching of affected systems and monitoring for potential exploitation attempts. Organizations should implement network-level protections, web filtering solutions, and ensure all Apple products are updated to versions that contain the relevant security patches addressing this memory corruption vulnerability.
The remediation approach for CVE-2017-7012 involves applying official security updates from Apple that address the memory corruption issues within the WebKit Web Inspector component. System administrators should prioritize updating all affected Apple products to their latest versions, including iOS 10.3.3 or later, Safari 10.1.2 or later, iCloud 6.2.2 or later for Windows, and iTunes 12.6.2 or later for Windows. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing browser security measures such as content security policies, web application firewalls, and regular security assessments to reduce the attack surface and monitor for any potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of the importance of regular software updates and proper memory management practices in preventing remote code execution vulnerabilities in widely used software components.