CVE-2019-8706 in watchOS
Summary
by MITRE • 10/28/2020
A memory corruption issue was addressed with improved state management. This issue is fixed in macOS Catalina 10.15, iOS 13.1 and iPadOS 13.1, tvOS 13, macOS Catalina 10.15.1, Security Update 2019-001, and Security Update 2019-006, watchOS 6. Processing a maliciously crafted audio file may lead to arbitrary code execution.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/28/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-8706 represents a memory corruption flaw that existed within Apple's audio processing frameworks, specifically affecting the handling of maliciously crafted audio files. This issue falls under the category of memory safety vulnerabilities and demonstrates the critical importance of proper state management in multimedia processing components. The vulnerability was particularly concerning because it could be exploited through audio files, which are commonly encountered in everyday computing environments, making it a significant threat vector for remote code execution attacks.
The technical nature of this flaw stems from inadequate state management within Apple's audio processing pipeline, which allowed attackers to manipulate memory structures through carefully crafted audio file inputs. This memory corruption could potentially be leveraged to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the affected application, typically the user's privileges in most scenarios. The vulnerability's exploitation path involves feeding malformed audio data to applications that process audio content, such as media players, web browsers, or other applications that handle audio files. This type of vulnerability is categorized as a memory corruption issue and aligns with CWE-121, which describes heap-based buffer overflow conditions, and CWE-122, which covers buffer overflow vulnerabilities in heap-based data structures.
The operational impact of CVE-2019-8706 extends across multiple Apple platforms including macOS Catalina, iOS 13, iPadOS 13, tvOS 13, and watchOS 6, making it a widespread concern for users across the Apple ecosystem. Attackers could potentially deliver malicious audio files through various vectors including email attachments, web downloads, or malicious websites, leading to unauthorized code execution on targeted systems. The vulnerability's severity is amplified by the fact that it requires no user interaction beyond opening or playing the malicious audio file, making it particularly dangerous in automated attack scenarios. This aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007, which covers command and scripting interpreter for audio processing components.
Apple addressed this vulnerability through comprehensive security updates released as part of macOS Catalina 10.15, iOS 13.1, iPadOS 13.1, tvOS 13, and watchOS 6 updates. The fix implemented improved state management mechanisms within the audio processing frameworks, ensuring that malformed inputs are properly validated and handled without causing memory corruption. Organizations and users should immediately apply these security updates to protect against potential exploitation attempts, as the vulnerability could be leveraged by sophisticated attackers to gain unauthorized access to affected systems. The resolution demonstrates Apple's commitment to addressing memory safety issues in their multimedia frameworks and highlights the importance of regular security patching for maintaining system integrity across all platform components.