CVE-2024-44245 in iOS
Summary
by MITRE • 12/12/2024
The issue was addressed with improved memory handling. This issue is fixed in iOS 18.2 and iPadOS 18.2, iPadOS 17.7.3, macOS Sequoia 15.2, macOS Sonoma 14.7.2, visionOS 2.2. An app may be able to cause unexpected system termination or corrupt kernel memory.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/07/2026
This vulnerability represents a memory handling flaw that could potentially lead to system instability or kernel memory corruption across multiple Apple operating systems. The issue was addressed through enhanced memory management protocols and represents a critical concern for system integrity and stability. The vulnerability affects iOS 18.2 and iPadOS 18.2, iPadOS 17.7.3, macOS Sequoia 15.2, macOS Sonoma 14.7.2, and visionOS 2.2, indicating a widespread impact across Apple's ecosystem. The memory handling improvement specifically targets scenarios where an application might trigger unexpected system termination or cause corruption of kernel memory, which could lead to system crashes or potentially more severe security implications.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with common memory corruption issues that fall under CWE-129, which deals with improper validation of array indices, and CWE-787, which addresses out-of-bounds write operations. These classifications are particularly relevant as they describe the fundamental mechanisms through which memory corruption can occur in operating system kernels. The vulnerability's potential to cause unexpected system termination suggests that it may involve buffer overflow conditions or memory allocation errors that can lead to system crashes. The kernel memory corruption aspect indicates that the flaw could potentially allow an attacker to manipulate critical system data structures, which could lead to privilege escalation or other advanced attack vectors.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability represents a significant concern for enterprise environments and users who rely on Apple devices for critical operations. The ability of an app to cause system termination could lead to data loss, service disruption, or denial of service conditions that would impact productivity and system availability. The kernel memory corruption aspect presents additional risks as it could potentially allow for more sophisticated attacks that exploit the operating system's core memory management functions. The fact that this vulnerability affects multiple operating systems including mobile and desktop platforms indicates that it could be leveraged across different device types, increasing the potential attack surface and impact scope.
The mitigation strategy involves prompt deployment of the patched versions across all affected operating systems, with particular attention to enterprise environments where device management systems can facilitate rapid rollouts. System administrators should prioritize updating devices to the latest versions of iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and visionOS to ensure protection against this vulnerability. The memory handling improvements implemented in the patches likely include enhanced bounds checking, improved memory allocation algorithms, and additional validation mechanisms that prevent the conditions that could lead to system termination or kernel corruption. Organizations should also implement monitoring for unusual system behavior or crashes that could indicate exploitation attempts, as the vulnerability may be targeted by malicious actors seeking to exploit system instability for more advanced attacks. The fix addresses fundamental memory management issues that could otherwise be exploited to gain unauthorized access to system resources or cause persistent system instability.