CVE-2017-7099 in tvOS
Summary
by MITRE
An issue was discovered in certain Apple products. iOS before 11 is affected. Safari before 11 is affected. iCloud before 7.0 on Windows is affected. iTunes before 12.7 on Windows is affected. tvOS before 11 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 • 01/20/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-7099 represents a critical security flaw within Apple's WebKit rendering engine that affected multiple Apple operating systems and applications. This vulnerability resides in the core web browsing component that powers Safari, iCloud, iTunes, and tvOS applications across various platforms. The flaw specifically targets the WebKit component which serves as the foundation for web content rendering in Apple's ecosystem, making it a prime target for attackers seeking to exploit web-based attack vectors. The vulnerability affects iOS versions prior to 11, Safari versions before 11, iCloud versions before 7.0 on Windows, iTunes versions before 12.7 on Windows, and tvOS versions before 11, demonstrating the widespread impact across Apple's product portfolio.
The technical nature of this vulnerability involves memory corruption issues that occur when processing crafted web content within the WebKit engine. Attackers can leverage this flaw by hosting malicious websites that contain specially crafted code designed to trigger memory corruption within the WebKit component. The memory corruption manifests as either arbitrary code execution capabilities or denial of service conditions that cause application crashes and system instability. This type of vulnerability falls under the CWE-125 weakness category, which describes out-of-bounds read conditions where programs access memory locations beyond their allocated boundaries. The vulnerability's exploitation pathway demonstrates how web-based attacks can leverage rendering engine flaws to achieve system compromise, making it particularly dangerous in the context of modern web browsing environments where users frequently encounter untrusted content.
The operational impact of CVE-2017-7099 extends far beyond individual user devices, as it affects Apple's entire ecosystem of products that rely on WebKit for web content rendering. Users of affected iOS versions could be compromised simply by visiting malicious websites, while Windows users running iCloud or iTunes applications faced similar risks. The vulnerability's potential for arbitrary code execution means that attackers could gain full control over affected systems, potentially leading to data theft, system monitoring, or further lateral movement within networks. The denial of service aspect also creates significant operational disruption, as legitimate users could be unable to access web services or applications due to crashes and system instability. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1203, which covers the exploitation of web browsers and web applications for remote code execution, demonstrating how browser-based vulnerabilities can serve as entry points for broader cyber operations.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2017-7099 required immediate patching of affected Apple products, with Apple releasing iOS 11, Safari 11, iCloud 7.0, iTunes 12.7, and tvOS 11 updates to address the memory corruption issues. Organizations should have implemented immediate security patches and updates across all affected platforms to prevent exploitation. Users needed to disable automatic website loading and avoid visiting untrusted websites until patches were applied. Network administrators should have considered implementing web filtering solutions to block access to known malicious domains and monitored for suspicious web traffic patterns. The vulnerability highlighted the importance of keeping web browsers and operating systems updated, as it demonstrated how outdated components could provide attackers with persistent entry points into Apple environments. Security teams should have conducted vulnerability assessments to identify all affected systems and prioritized patching based on risk exposure, particularly for systems that frequently accessed the internet or handled sensitive data.