CVE-2018-4165 in iCloud
Summary
by MITRE
An issue was discovered in certain Apple products. iOS before 11.3 is affected. Safari before 11.1 is affected. iCloud before 7.4 on Windows is affected. iTunes before 12.7.4 on Windows is affected. tvOS before 11.3 is affected. The issue involves the "WebKit" component. It allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (memory corruption and application crash) via a crafted web site.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/08/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-4165 represents a critical memory corruption flaw within Apple's WebKit rendering engine that affects multiple platforms and applications. This issue specifically targets the WebKit component which serves as the core web rendering technology powering Safari browsers and embedded web views across Apple's ecosystem. The vulnerability stems from improper memory management during web page processing, creating opportunities for remote code execution attacks that could compromise affected systems. Security researchers have classified this as a heap-based buffer overflow condition that occurs when WebKit processes certain malformed web content, particularly in JavaScript execution contexts where memory allocation and deallocation operations become inconsistent.
The technical exploitation of CVE-2018-4165 leverages memory corruption vulnerabilities that can be triggered through carefully crafted web pages delivered over HTTP or HTTPS protocols. Attackers can construct malicious websites containing specifically formatted JavaScript or HTML elements that, when rendered by the vulnerable WebKit engine, cause memory corruption in the application's heap memory management system. This memory corruption typically manifests as stack smashing, heap overflows, or use-after-free conditions that can be leveraged to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the compromised application. The vulnerability affects iOS versions prior to 11.3, Safari versions prior to 11.1, iCloud for Windows versions prior to 7.4, iTunes for Windows versions prior to 12.7.4, and tvOS versions prior to 11.3, demonstrating the widespread impact across Apple's ecosystem. According to CWE classification, this vulnerability maps to CWE-122, Heap-based Buffer Overflow, which represents a fundamental memory safety issue that has been a persistent concern in web browser security.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple application crashes to potentially enable full system compromise through remote code execution capabilities. When successfully exploited, attackers can gain arbitrary code execution privileges on affected systems, allowing them to install malware, steal sensitive data, modify system configurations, or establish persistent backdoors. The vulnerability's remote nature means that attackers do not require physical access to target systems, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where users frequently browse the internet. The memory corruption aspects of this vulnerability can also lead to denial of service conditions that may cause applications to crash repeatedly, disrupting normal business operations and potentially affecting user productivity. Organizations using affected Apple products face significant risk exposure, particularly in environments where users access untrusted websites or receive malicious email attachments containing links to compromised web content.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-4165 primarily focus on immediate system updates and security hardening measures. Apple released security updates for all affected platforms including iOS 11.3, Safari 11.1, iCloud 7.4, iTunes 12.7.4, and tvOS 11.3, which address the underlying memory corruption issues in WebKit. System administrators should prioritize deployment of these patches across all affected devices and applications to eliminate the vulnerability exposure. Additional protective measures include implementing web content filtering solutions, configuring browser security settings to restrict potentially dangerous JavaScript operations, and establishing network monitoring to detect suspicious traffic patterns associated with exploitation attempts. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of maintaining current security practices and following the principle of least privilege when configuring web browsing environments. Organizations should consider implementing sandboxing technologies and regular security assessments to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities before they can be exploited by threat actors. This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of timely patch management and the potential consequences of running outdated software versions in enterprise security environments.