CVE-2018-4087 in iOS
Summary
by MITRE
An issue was discovered in certain Apple products. iOS before 11.2.5 is affected. tvOS before 11.2.5 is affected. watchOS before 4.2.2 is affected. The issue involves the "Core Bluetooth" component. It allows attackers to execute arbitrary code in a privileged context or cause a denial of service (memory corruption) via a crafted app.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/29/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-4087 represents a critical security flaw within Apple's Core Bluetooth framework affecting multiple operating systems including iOS, tvOS, and watchOS. This vulnerability resides in the fundamental Bluetooth communication layer that enables wireless device connectivity and data exchange between Apple devices and external peripherals. The affected versions iOS 11.2.4 and earlier, tvOS 11.2.4 and earlier, and watchOS 4.2.1 and earlier all share this common weakness in their Bluetooth stack implementation. The Core Bluetooth framework serves as the primary interface for Bluetooth Low Energy communication in Apple's ecosystem, making this vulnerability particularly concerning as it impacts a core system component that handles wireless connectivity for countless applications and device interactions.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from improper memory handling within the Core Bluetooth implementation that can be exploited through maliciously crafted applications. When a specially designed app attempts to establish or interact with Bluetooth connections, the flawed memory management routines in the affected systems can lead to memory corruption conditions. This memory corruption can manifest in two primary ways: either allowing attackers to execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges within the system context, or causing a system crash that results in denial of service conditions. The vulnerability specifically exploits how the system handles memory allocation and deallocation during Bluetooth connection processes, particularly when processing malformed or unexpected Bluetooth advertising data, connection parameters, or service discovery responses. Attackers can leverage this flaw by simply installing and running a malicious application on an affected device, without requiring any user interaction beyond the initial app installation.
The operational impact of CVE-2018-4087 extends far beyond simple device instability as it provides attackers with potential paths to gain unauthorized system access and execute malicious code with elevated privileges. In a practical attack scenario, an attacker could distribute a malicious application through the App Store or via enterprise channels that, when installed on an affected device, would trigger the memory corruption vulnerability. Once exploited, the attacker could potentially gain root-level access to the device, enabling them to access all user data, install additional malicious software, monitor communications, or even modify system configurations. The vulnerability affects all Bluetooth-enabled Apple devices that are running the affected software versions, creating a substantial attack surface across mobile phones, tablets, smartwatches, and television systems. This makes it particularly dangerous as it could compromise not only personal devices but also potentially enterprise devices that rely on Apple's Bluetooth connectivity for various business applications and IoT integrations.
The exploitation of this vulnerability aligns with several ATT&CK framework techniques including privilege escalation through memory corruption and code injection methods. From a CWE perspective, this vulnerability maps to CWE-121 which describes heap-based buffer overflow conditions, and potentially CWE-125 which addresses out-of-bounds read conditions. The vulnerability demonstrates how seemingly benign wireless communication protocols can become attack vectors when memory management flaws exist in system components. Apple's response to this vulnerability involved releasing security updates for iOS 11.2.5, tvOS 11.2.5, and watchOS 4.2.2 that addressed the memory corruption issues in the Core Bluetooth implementation. Organizations and individuals should immediately update their affected Apple devices to the latest software versions to mitigate this risk. Additionally, network administrators should monitor for suspicious Bluetooth activity on enterprise networks and consider implementing device management policies that enforce automatic security updates. The vulnerability underscores the importance of thorough security testing for system components that handle wireless communications and highlights how even critical infrastructure components like Bluetooth stacks can contain exploitable memory management flaws that require ongoing vigilance and patch management processes to maintain system security.