CVE-2018-4098 in macOS
Summary
by MITRE
An issue was discovered in certain Apple products. macOS before 10.13.3 is affected. The issue involves the "IOHIDFamily" 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 • 02/02/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-4098 represents a critical security flaw within Apple's macOS operating system affecting versions prior to 10.13.3. This weakness resides within the IOHIDFamily component, which serves as a fundamental part of the operating system's hardware input handling architecture. The IOHIDFamily manages human interface device interactions including keyboards, mice, touchpads, and other input peripherals, making it a critical subsystem that requires robust security controls. The vulnerability stems from improper memory management within this component, creating opportunities for malicious code execution that could potentially escalate privileges and compromise system integrity.
The technical nature of this flaw involves memory corruption that occurs when the IOHIDFamily processes crafted input from malicious applications. This type of vulnerability typically manifests through buffer overflows or use-after-free conditions where attacker-controlled data can manipulate memory layout in ways that allow arbitrary code execution. The vulnerability operates at a privileged context level since the IOHIDFamily component runs with elevated privileges to properly handle hardware interactions, meaning successful exploitation could provide attackers with root-level access to affected systems. The attack vector requires a crafted application that can trigger the vulnerable code path within the HID processing subsystem, potentially through malformed input device configurations or malicious USB device handling.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risks to macOS environments since it enables attackers to execute arbitrary code with system-level privileges. The potential for denial of service exists through memory corruption that could crash the operating system or render input devices unusable. Organizations running affected macOS versions face heightened risk of complete system compromise, as the vulnerability could be exploited to install persistent backdoors, exfiltrate sensitive data, or establish footholds for further attacks within network environments. The nature of the IOHIDFamily component means that exploitation could occur through various input device interactions, potentially making detection and prevention more challenging for security teams.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-121, which describes heap-based buffer overflow conditions that can lead to arbitrary code execution, and represents a classic example of privilege escalation through kernel-level components. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving privilege escalation and persistence, as attackers could leverage the elevated privileges to maintain access to compromised systems. Security professionals should consider this vulnerability as part of broader attack surface management strategies, particularly focusing on input device handling and kernel-level security controls. Organizations should prioritize immediate patching of affected systems to 10.13.3 or later versions, while implementing monitoring for suspicious input device behavior and application execution patterns that could indicate exploitation attempts. The IOHIDFamily vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date operating system patches, especially for kernel-level components that handle hardware interactions and system-level privileges.