CVE-2023-38610 in iOS
Summary
by MITRE • 01/11/2024
A memory corruption issue was addressed by removing the vulnerable code. This issue is fixed in macOS Sonoma 14, iOS 17 and iPadOS 17. An app may be able to cause unexpected system termination or write kernel memory.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/16/2025
This vulnerability represents a critical memory corruption flaw that existed within Apple's operating systems, specifically affecting macOS Sonoma 14, iOS 17, and iPadOS 17. The issue stemmed from improper memory handling mechanisms that could be exploited by malicious applications to manipulate kernel memory directly. According to industry standards, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-121, which describes heap-based buffer overflow conditions, and potentially CWE-787, which covers out-of-bounds write operations. The flaw allowed an attacker-controlled application to execute arbitrary code with kernel-level privileges, creating a severe privilege escalation vector that could compromise the entire system integrity.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involved a memory corruption issue that occurred during specific code execution paths within the operating system kernel. Attackers could craft malicious applications that would trigger memory corruption conditions, leading to either unexpected system termination or direct kernel memory manipulation. This type of vulnerability falls under the ATT&CK framework's privilege escalation techniques, specifically targeting the kernel memory space to gain unauthorized access to system resources. The vulnerability's impact extended beyond simple application crashes, as it could enable persistent system compromise and data exfiltration.
The operational impact of this vulnerability was substantial, as it represented a zero-day exploit that could be weaponized by threat actors to achieve persistent access to affected systems. Mobile device users running iOS 17 and iPadOS 17, as well as macOS Sonoma 14 users, faced potential compromise from any application that could trigger the memory corruption condition. The vulnerability's nature meant that even seemingly benign applications could be used as attack vectors, as they could leverage the memory corruption to escalate privileges and gain kernel-level access. This made the exploit particularly dangerous in environments where users might unknowingly install malicious applications from untrusted sources.
Apple addressed this vulnerability through comprehensive code removal and system updates, implementing proper memory management controls to prevent the corruption conditions from occurring. The fix involved removing the vulnerable code paths and strengthening memory allocation mechanisms to prevent unauthorized kernel memory access. Organizations should prioritize immediate deployment of the security updates for macOS Sonoma 14, iOS 17, and iPadOS 17 to protect against potential exploitation. Additionally, system administrators should monitor for any indicators of compromise and implement network-based detection measures to identify potential attempts to exploit this vulnerability. The remediation process should include comprehensive testing to ensure that the updates do not introduce compatibility issues with existing applications while maintaining the security improvements.