CVE-2018-4135 in macOS
Summary
by MITRE
An issue was discovered in certain Apple products. macOS before 10.13.4 is affected. The issue involves the "IOFireWireFamily" 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 • 02/07/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-4135 resides within Apple's macOS operating system affecting versions prior to 10.13.4 and specifically targets the IOFireWireFamily component. This represents a critical security flaw that enables malicious actors to exploit memory corruption issues through specially crafted applications. The IOFireWireFamily serves as a kernel extension responsible for managing FireWire hardware connections and device communication, making it a prime target for privilege escalation attacks. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and memory management practices within the kernel-level driver, creating opportunities for attackers to manipulate system memory and execute unauthorized code with elevated privileges.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through memory corruption mechanisms that allow attackers to manipulate kernel memory structures. When a malicious application attempts to interact with FireWire devices through the IOFireWireFamily component, the flawed implementation fails to properly validate memory access patterns and buffer boundaries. This creates opportunities for attackers to overwrite critical kernel memory locations, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution in kernel space. The flaw operates at the kernel level, meaning successful exploitation can result in complete system compromise, as the attacker gains the ability to execute code with the highest possible privileges. This aligns with CWE-121, which describes heap-based buffer overflow conditions, and CWE-125, which covers out-of-bounds read vulnerabilities that can lead to privilege escalation.
The operational impact of CVE-2018-4135 extends beyond simple privilege escalation, as it provides attackers with persistent access to compromised systems. Once exploited, adversaries can maintain long-term presence on affected systems while executing malicious code without detection. The vulnerability affects systems running macOS versions earlier than 10.13.4, leaving millions of devices potentially vulnerable to attack. The attack surface includes any system with FireWire ports, as the flaw can be triggered through legitimate FireWire device connections or by crafting malicious applications that leverage the vulnerable kernel extension. This vulnerability directly maps to ATT&CK technique T1068, which covers 'Exploitation for Privilege Escalation,' and T1059, covering 'Command and Scripting Interpreter,' as attackers can use the elevated privileges to execute additional malicious commands or establish persistence mechanisms.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-4135 primarily focus on system updates and hardware-based protections. Apple addressed this vulnerability through the release of macOS 10.13.4, which includes patches to the IOFireWireFamily component that fix the memory corruption issues. Organizations should immediately deploy these updates across all affected systems to eliminate the risk of exploitation. Additionally, system administrators should consider disabling FireWire interfaces when not actively required, as this reduces the attack surface for potential exploitation. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of kernel extension security and proper memory management practices, as outlined in the NIST Cybersecurity Framework and ISO/IEC 27001 standards for information security management. Network segmentation and monitoring solutions should be employed to detect suspicious FireWire activity or unauthorized kernel-level modifications, as these protections can help identify exploitation attempts before they result in full system compromise.