CVE-2018-4093 in iOS
Summary
by MITRE
An issue was discovered in certain Apple products. iOS before 11.2.5 is affected. macOS before 10.13.3 is affected. tvOS before 11.2.5 is affected. watchOS before 4.2.2 is affected. The issue involves the "Kernel" component. It allows attackers to bypass intended memory-read restrictions via a crafted app.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/02/2021
This vulnerability represents a critical kernel-level memory protection bypass that affects multiple Apple operating systems including iOS, macOS, tvOS, and watchOS. The flaw exists within the kernel component of these systems, specifically allowing malicious applications to circumvent intended memory-read restrictions that are fundamental to system security. This type of vulnerability falls under the category of kernel-level privilege escalation where an unprivileged process can gain unauthorized access to memory regions that should be restricted. The vulnerability demonstrates a failure in memory management controls that are essential for maintaining system integrity and protecting against unauthorized data access.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves a crafted application that exploits memory management mechanisms within the kernel to bypass established security boundaries. This attack vector represents a sophisticated approach to privilege escalation that leverages kernel-level flaws to gain elevated privileges. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it affects the core memory protection mechanisms that are fundamental to operating system security models. According to CWE classification, this represents a memory protection bypass vulnerability that allows unauthorized memory access. The attack scenario typically involves an attacker crafting a malicious application that can manipulate kernel memory management functions to read restricted memory regions.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation as it can enable attackers to access sensitive system information, manipulate kernel data structures, and potentially achieve full system compromise. This type of vulnerability provides attackers with the capability to bypass security controls that are designed to prevent unauthorized memory access, which can lead to information disclosure, system instability, and potential complete system takeover. The vulnerability affects multiple Apple platforms, indicating a widespread kernel-level flaw that requires coordinated patching across different operating system versions. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1068 which describes "Local Port Forwarding" and T1059 which covers "Command and Scripting Interpreter" as attackers could leverage the bypassed memory access to execute malicious code with elevated privileges.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate system updates to the patched versions of affected operating systems. Apple released security updates for iOS 11.2.5, macOS 10.13.3, tvOS 11.2.5, and watchOS 4.2.2 that address this kernel-level memory protection bypass. Organizations should prioritize patching all affected systems as the vulnerability can be exploited by malicious applications without user interaction. Additionally, system administrators should implement monitoring for suspicious application behavior and memory access patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability highlights the importance of kernel security and the need for continuous security testing of core operating system components. Security professionals should consider implementing application whitelisting policies to prevent unauthorized applications from running on affected systems while patches are deployed. This vulnerability serves as a reminder of the critical nature of kernel security and the potential consequences when fundamental memory protection mechanisms fail.