CVE-2019-8703 in iOS
Summary
by MITRE • 12/23/2021
This issue was addressed with improved entitlements. This issue is fixed in watchOS 6, tvOS 13, macOS Catalina 10.15, iOS 13. An application may be able to gain elevated privileges.
If you want to get the best quality for vulnerability data then you always have to consider VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/27/2021
This vulnerability represents a privilege escalation flaw that existed in Apple's operating systems prior to the mentioned security updates. The issue stems from inadequate entitlement management within the system's security framework, allowing applications to potentially bypass normal access controls and elevate their privileges beyond intended boundaries. The vulnerability affects multiple Apple platforms including watchOS 6, tvOS 13, macOS Catalina 10.15, and iOS 13, indicating a systemic weakness in the entitlement validation mechanisms across the Apple ecosystem. Such flaws typically arise when applications or processes are granted overly permissive access rights that should be restricted to prevent unauthorized system access. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-276, which addresses improper permissions and access control issues that can lead to privilege escalation scenarios.
The technical implementation of this flaw likely involves a misconfiguration in the entitlement verification process where applications could manipulate or exploit the system's permission model to gain elevated privileges. Attackers could potentially leverage this weakness to execute malicious code with higher privileges than originally intended, potentially compromising system integrity and confidentiality. The fix implemented by Apple involved strengthening the entitlement validation mechanisms to ensure that applications can only access resources and capabilities that are explicitly granted through proper authorization processes. This approach addresses the root cause by implementing more rigorous checks during application launch and runtime execution.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant as it could allow malicious applications to bypass normal security boundaries and potentially access sensitive system functions or data. In a real-world scenario, an attacker could exploit this vulnerability to install persistent backdoors, access encrypted data, or perform other malicious activities that would normally be restricted to system-level processes or privileged applications. The cross-platform nature of the vulnerability means that attackers could potentially leverage similar exploitation techniques across different Apple devices, making the impact more widespread. This type of privilege escalation vulnerability is particularly dangerous as it can provide attackers with persistent access to compromised systems and access to sensitive user data.
Mitigation strategies should focus on implementing the security updates provided by Apple, which include improved entitlement validation mechanisms that prevent applications from gaining unauthorized elevated privileges. Organizations should ensure all Apple devices are updated to the latest versions of their respective operating systems, including watchOS 6, tvOS 13, macOS Catalina 10.15, and iOS 13. Additionally, system administrators should monitor for any suspicious application behavior that might indicate exploitation attempts and implement network-based monitoring solutions to detect unusual privilege escalation activities. The fix addresses this vulnerability through proper access control enforcement, which aligns with the principle of least privilege and helps prevent unauthorized system access through improved entitlement management. This remediation approach follows established security practices and aligns with the ATT&CK framework's privilege escalation techniques by addressing the underlying entitlement validation weaknesses that enable such attacks.