CVE-2017-7118 in iOS
Summary
by MITRE
An issue was discovered in certain Apple products. iOS before 11 is affected. The issue involves the "Messages" component. It allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) via a crafted image.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/14/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-7118 represents a critical security flaw within Apple's iOS messaging infrastructure that affected versions prior to iOS 11. This issue resides within the Messages application component, which serves as a fundamental communication tool across Apple's ecosystem. The vulnerability manifests when the system processes specially crafted image files, leading to unexpected application behavior that ultimately results in system instability and service disruption. The flaw specifically targets the image handling mechanisms within the messaging framework, where improper validation of image metadata and file structures creates opportunities for malicious exploitation.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation within the image processing pipeline of the Messages application. When a user receives a message containing a malformed image file, the application fails to properly sanitize or reject the malicious payload, causing the system to crash during the rendering or processing phase. This represents a classic buffer overflow condition or memory corruption issue that occurs when the application attempts to parse image headers or embedded data structures without adequate bounds checking. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and leverages the trust model inherent in message delivery systems, where users expect to safely receive and view multimedia content without system compromise.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability enables remote attackers to execute denial of service attacks against targeted iOS devices through simple message transmission. The attack requires minimal technical expertise and can be executed through standard messaging channels, making it particularly dangerous in environments where message communication is prevalent. The crash effect prevents normal messaging functionality and can potentially disrupt communication services, affecting both individual users and enterprise communication systems. The vulnerability also creates potential for more sophisticated attacks if combined with other exploitation techniques, as the system instability may provide opportunities for privilege escalation or additional attack vectors.
The security implications extend beyond simple service disruption to encompass broader system stability concerns and user trust issues within Apple's ecosystem. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-129, which addresses improper validation of input boundaries, and demonstrates how insufficient validation can lead to system crashes and denial of service conditions. The attack vector follows ATT&CK technique T1499.002, specifically targeting application availability through process interruption and system instability. Organizations should implement immediate mitigation strategies including iOS version updates to iOS 11 or later, network-based filtering of suspicious image attachments, and user education regarding the risks of opening unknown or untrusted message content. Additionally, security monitoring should focus on identifying unusual message traffic patterns and system crash reports that may indicate exploitation attempts.