CyberSecBulletin
CVE-2024-23225Exploited in the wildNVD status: Analyzed

Apple Multiple Products Memory Corruption

Published Updated By the CyberSecBulletin desk

CVE-2024-23225 is a high-severity out-of-bounds write vulnerability in iOS and iPadOS from Apple, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.8 out of 10. It can be exploited with local access to the system by an attacker with a low-privileged account, without any action from a user. The record lists versions 16.7.6, 17.4 as the first without the flaw, so updating iOS and iPadOS to one of those releases or later removes the exposure. CISA added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalogue on March 6, 2024, which means attacks have been observed in the wild.

Patch now

Attackers are already exploiting this vulnerability, according to CISA.

What to do

  1. Update iOS and iPadOS to 16.7.6 or 17.4, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
  2. Update macOS to 12.7.4 or 13.6.5 or 14.4, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
  3. Update tvOS to 17.4 or a later version.
  4. CISA's required action: Apply mitigations per vendor instructions or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.
  5. Read the advisory on support.apple.com for workarounds and exact fixed builds.

Affected products and versions

VendorProductAffected versionsFixed in
AppleiOS and iPadOSbefore 16.7.6; before 17.416.7.6, 17.4
ApplemacOSbefore 12.7.4; before 13.6.5; before 14.4; 12.0.0 up to, but not including, 12.7.4; 13.0 up to, but not including, 13.6.5; 14.0 up to, but not including, 14.412.7.4, 13.6.5, 14.4
AppletvOSbefore 17.417.4
ApplevisionOSbefore 1.11.1
ApplewatchOSbefore 10.410.4
Appleipad_os17.0 up to, but not including, 17.4; before 16.7.617.4, 16.7.6
Appleiphone_osbefore 16.7.6; 17.0 up to, but not including, 17.416.7.6, 17.4
AppleiPadOSbefore 16.7.6; 17.0 up to, but not including, 17.416.7.6, 17.4

Version data comes from the organisation that assigned the CVE. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.

How the severity score breaks down

Attack vector
LocalThe attacker needs local access or must trick a user into running something.
Attack complexity
LowNo special conditions are needed; the attack works reliably.
Privileges required
LowA basic user account is enough.
User interaction
NoneNo action by a victim is required.
Scope
UnchangedImpact stays within the vulnerable component.
Confidentiality
HighAll data handled by the component can be read.
Integrity
HighData or code can be modified at will.
Availability
HighThe component can be taken down completely.

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H. Scored by NVD.

Scoring systemScoreSeverityScored by
CVSS 3.17.8HighNVD
CVSS 3.17.8HighCISA (ADP)

Official description

A memory corruption issue was addressed with improved validation. This issue is fixed in iOS 16.7.6 and iPadOS 16.7.6, iOS 17.4 and iPadOS 17.4, macOS Monterey 12.7.4, macOS Sonoma 14.4, macOS Ventura 13.6.5, tvOS 17.4, visionOS 1.1, watchOS 10.4. An attacker with arbitrary kernel read and write capability may be able to bypass kernel memory protections. Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have been exploited.

Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.

The underlying weakness: Out-of-bounds Write

The product writes data past the end, or before the beginning, of the intended buffer.

How developers prevent this class of flaw

  • Use a language that does not allow this weakness to occur or provides constructs that make this weakness easier to avoid. For example, many languages that perform their own memory management, such as Java and Perl, are not subject to buffer overflows. Other languages, such as Ada and C#, typically provide overflow protection, but the protection can be disabled by the programmer. Be wary that a language's interface to native code may still be subject to overflows, even if the language itself is theoretically safe.
  • Use a vetted library or framework that does not allow this weakness to occur or provides constructs that make this weakness easier to avoid. Examples include the Safe C String Library (SafeStr) by Messier and Viega, and the Strsafe.h library from Microsoft. These libraries provide safer versions of overflow-prone string-handling functions.
  • Use automatic buffer overflow detection mechanisms that are offered by certain compilers or compiler extensions. Examples include: the Microsoft Visual Studio /GS flag, Fedora/Red Hat FORTIFY_SOURCE GCC flag, StackGuard, and ProPolice, which provide various mechanisms including canary-based detection and range/index checking. D3-SFCV (Stack Frame Canary Validation) from D3FEND discusses canary-based detection in detail.

More Out-of-bounds Write vulnerabilities (CWE-787)

Timeline

  1. CVE record published.
  2. Added to CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalogue.
  3. Deadline for US federal agencies to remediate, set by CISA.
  4. CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: active, automatable: no, technical impact: total).
  5. Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).

References

Third-party and government advisories

Other vulnerabilities in iOS and iPadOS

All iOS and iPadOS vulnerabilities

Recent Out-of-bounds Write vulnerabilities

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