CVE-2017-7034 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. tvOS before 10.2.2 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 • 01/05/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-7034 represents a critical memory corruption flaw within Apple's WebKit rendering engine that affects multiple operating systems and applications. This vulnerability resides in the core web browsing component responsible for processing and displaying web content across Apple's ecosystem. The affected versions include iOS 10.3.2 and earlier, Safari 10.1.1 and earlier, iCloud 6.2.1 and earlier on Windows platforms, iTunes 12.6.1 and earlier on Windows, and tvOS 10.2.1 and earlier. The flaw specifically manifests in how WebKit handles memory allocation and deallocation during web page rendering processes, creating opportunities for malicious actors to exploit memory corruption patterns.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves sophisticated memory management issues that can be triggered through carefully crafted web content. Attackers can construct malicious websites that, when loaded in affected browsers, cause the WebKit engine to improperly handle memory references, leading to heap corruption or stack overflow conditions. This memory corruption can be leveraged to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the affected application, or alternatively cause application crashes and denial of service conditions. The vulnerability's exploitation typically requires the user to visit a malicious website, making it a classic client-side attack vector that relies on social engineering elements to succeed.
The operational impact of CVE-2017-7034 extends across Apple's entire ecosystem of devices and applications, creating significant security risks for users of affected systems. Mobile devices running older iOS versions become vulnerable to remote code execution attacks that could compromise user data, enable persistent backdoors, or allow attackers to escalate privileges. The Windows-based applications including iCloud and iTunes present additional attack surfaces where the same memory corruption issues could be exploited to gain unauthorized access to user accounts or system resources. The cross-platform nature of this vulnerability means that organizations and individuals using Apple products across multiple devices face consistent risk exposure. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-125, which describes out-of-bounds read conditions, and CWE-787, which covers out-of-bounds write conditions, both of which are fundamental memory safety issues.
The exploitation of this vulnerability can be categorized under the attack patterns defined in the MITRE ATT&CK framework, specifically relating to privilege escalation and remote code execution techniques. Adversaries can leverage this flaw to establish persistent access to compromised systems, potentially enabling long-term surveillance or data exfiltration operations. The vulnerability's impact is particularly concerning because it affects widely used applications that users interact with daily, making the attack surface extensive and the potential for widespread exploitation significant. Security professionals should consider this vulnerability when assessing risk within enterprise environments where Apple products are prevalent, as it represents a substantial threat vector for targeted attacks against organizations with Apple device usage.
Organizations and individuals should immediately implement mitigation strategies including updating all affected Apple products to their latest secure versions, which address the underlying memory corruption issues in WebKit. System administrators should monitor for indicators of compromise related to malicious websites that may attempt to exploit this vulnerability, and implement network-based protections such as web content filtering solutions that can block access to known malicious domains. The patching process should be prioritized across all affected platforms, with particular attention to mobile devices where the vulnerability can be exploited through web browsing activities. Additionally, users should be educated about the importance of keeping their software updated and should avoid visiting untrusted websites that may contain malicious content designed to exploit this specific memory corruption flaw.