CVE-2017-7042 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 • 05/03/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-7042 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 that powers Safari, iCloud, iTunes, and tvOS applications across various Apple platforms. The flaw manifests as a heap-based buffer overflow or memory corruption issue that occurs when processing specially crafted web content, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited through standard web browsing activities without any special privileges or user interaction beyond visiting a malicious website.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and memory management within WebKit's JavaScript engine and HTML parser components. Attackers can craft malicious web pages that, when loaded in affected applications, trigger memory corruption conditions leading to arbitrary code execution or application crashes. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-125: Out-of-bounds Read and CWE-787: Out-of-bounds Write, both of which represent common vectors for remote code execution exploits in web browsers. The vulnerability's exploitation pathway aligns with ATT&CK technique T1203: Exploitation for Client Execution, where adversaries leverage browser vulnerabilities to execute malicious code on target systems.
The operational impact of CVE-2017-7042 extends across Apple's entire ecosystem including iOS devices, macOS systems, Windows applications, and Apple TV platforms. Affected versions such as iOS 10.3.2 and earlier, Safari 10.1.1 and earlier, and various Windows applications demonstrate the widespread nature of this flaw. The vulnerability's remote exploitability means that attackers can compromise systems simply by hosting malicious content on web servers, making it particularly dangerous for enterprise environments where users frequently browse the internet. The memory corruption can result in both persistent code execution capabilities and denial of service conditions, potentially allowing attackers to gain full system control or simply disrupt normal operations.
Organizations and individuals should immediately implement mitigation strategies including updating to the patched versions of affected software, deploying web application firewalls, and implementing network-based protections to block access to known malicious domains. The vulnerability's classification as a remote code execution flaw necessitates immediate patch management procedures, as the affected versions include critical security updates that address the underlying memory corruption issues. Security teams should also consider implementing browser isolation techniques and monitoring for suspicious network traffic patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability's presence in multiple Apple products underscores the importance of comprehensive patch management across all platforms and the need for regular security assessments to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities in the broader software ecosystem.