CVE-2024-54479 in Safari
Summary
by MITRE • 12/12/2024
The issue was addressed with improved checks. This issue is fixed in Safari 18.2, iOS 18.2 and iPadOS 18.2, iPadOS 17.7.3, macOS Sequoia 15.2, tvOS 18.2, visionOS 2.2, watchOS 11.2. Processing maliciously crafted web content may lead to an unexpected process crash.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/08/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-54479 represents a stability issue within Apple's web rendering engine that affects multiple operating systems including Safari 18.2, iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, macOS Sequoia 15.2, tvOS 18.2, visionOS 2.2, and watchOS 11.2. This flaw manifests when processing maliciously crafted web content that can trigger an unexpected process crash, potentially disrupting user experience and creating opportunities for further exploitation. The issue was addressed through enhanced validation mechanisms that improve the robustness of web content handling within Apple's ecosystem. From a cybersecurity perspective, this vulnerability falls under the category of software stability and reliability issues that can be leveraged by threat actors to disrupt services or potentially escalate attacks.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation within Apple's web processing components, particularly in how the browser engine handles malformed or crafted web content. This type of flaw can be categorized as a weakness in input validation and error handling, aligning with CWE-20 - Improper Input Validation and CWE-707 - Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation. The vulnerability operates by presenting specially constructed web content that causes the rendering engine to encounter an unexpected state, leading to an abrupt termination of the process. This crash behavior can occur during normal browsing operations when users encounter maliciously crafted websites or web applications, making it particularly concerning for user safety and system reliability.
The operational impact of CVE-2024-54479 extends beyond simple service disruption to potentially create opportunities for more sophisticated attacks within the broader threat landscape. While the immediate effect is a process crash rather than direct code execution, such instability can be exploited as a precursor to more serious vulnerabilities or as part of a multi-stage attack pattern. The vulnerability's presence across multiple Apple platforms including mobile operating systems, desktop environments, and specialized devices like visionOS and watchOS demonstrates the widespread nature of the issue. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability could be leveraged in techniques related to privilege escalation, denial of service, and potentially as part of reconnaissance activities to identify system weaknesses. The fact that it affects Safari across multiple platforms suggests that threat actors could target users through various vectors including web-based attacks, phishing campaigns, or compromised websites that exploit this instability.
The remediation approach implemented by Apple involved strengthening the validation checks within the web processing pipeline, which represents a defensive programming technique designed to prevent malformed inputs from causing system instability. This fix aligns with security best practices for robustness and resilience in software design, particularly in web browsers where the attack surface is inherently large due to the variety of content types that can be encountered. The patch addresses the root cause by implementing more comprehensive input sanitization and error handling mechanisms that properly manage edge cases and malformed content without causing process termination. Organizations should prioritize updating affected systems to the patched versions as soon as possible, particularly in environments where users may encounter untrusted web content or where continuous availability is critical for operations. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of the importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches across all platforms and the need for comprehensive security monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts.