CVE-2019-8763 in iCloud
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple memory corruption issues were addressed with improved memory handling. This issue is fixed in iOS 13.1 and iPadOS 13.1, tvOS 13, Safari 13.0.1, iTunes for Windows 12.10.1, iCloud for Windows 10.7, iCloud for Windows 7.14. Processing maliciously crafted web content may lead to arbitrary code execution.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/15/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-8763 represents a critical memory corruption issue that affected multiple Apple operating systems and applications. This flaw emerged from inadequate memory handling mechanisms within Apple's software stack, specifically impacting iOS 13.0, iPadOS 13.0, tvOS 13.0, Safari 13.0, and various iTunes and iCloud versions. The vulnerability stems from improper memory management during the processing of web content, creating conditions where attackers could exploit memory corruption to execute arbitrary code on affected systems. The issue manifests when the affected applications process maliciously crafted web content, which can trigger memory corruption that bypasses normal security boundaries.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability aligns with common memory corruption patterns classified under CWE-122, which deals with insufficient synchronization of memory access operations, and CWE-787, which addresses out-of-bounds write operations. These memory handling flaws create opportunities for attackers to manipulate memory structures and potentially overwrite critical system components or execute malicious payloads. The vulnerability operates at the intersection of web rendering and memory management, where web content processing fails to properly validate memory boundaries during content parsing and rendering operations.
The operational impact of CVE-2019-8763 extends across multiple attack vectors, as it affects both desktop and mobile platforms through various Apple applications. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability through drive-by web attacks, where simply visiting a compromised website could trigger the exploit without user interaction. The arbitrary code execution capability provides attackers with full system compromise potential, enabling them to install malware, exfiltrate data, or establish persistent access to affected systems. This vulnerability particularly affects enterprise environments where users may encounter malicious web content during routine browsing activities.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2019-8763 require immediate deployment of Apple's security patches, specifically iOS 13.1, iPadOS 13.1, tvOS 13, Safari 13.0.1, iTunes for Windows 12.10.1, and iCloud for Windows versions 10.7 and 7.14. Organizations should implement network-level protections including web filtering solutions and browser hardening measures to prevent access to malicious content. Security teams should monitor for exploitation attempts through network traffic analysis and endpoint detection systems, as the vulnerability may be leveraged in targeted attacks. The fix addresses the underlying memory handling issues through improved bounds checking and memory allocation routines, preventing the conditions that previously allowed memory corruption to occur during web content processing. This vulnerability demonstrates the importance of robust memory management in preventing privilege escalation and arbitrary code execution attacks, aligning with ATT&CK techniques focused on memory corruption and code injection.