CVE-2023-28204 - Out-of-Bounds Read in Web Content Processing: Improved Input Validation and Potential Active Exploitation

Introduction: Researchers have discovered a critical vulnerability, CVE-2023-28204, in multiple Apple operating systems. This vulnerability is an out-of-bounds read issue addressed with improved input validation. Apple has released security updates to patch the vulnerability in watchOS 9.5, tvOS 16.5, macOS Ventura 13.4, iOS 15.7.6 and iPadOS 15.7.6, Safari 16.5, iOS 16.5, and iPadOS 16.5. Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have been actively exploited.

Exploit Details: An attacker can exploit the vulnerability by sending specially crafted web content to the target system. The web content can trigger an out-of-bounds read, allowing the attacker to disclose sensitive information from the system's memory. The vulnerability's root cause is improper input validation when processing web content.

Here's a basic example of what a vulnerable code might look like

void process_web_content(char *input) {
    char buffer[100];
    
    // Vulnerable code without proper input validation
    strcpy(buffer, input);
    
    // Do something with the web content
}

To fix this vulnerability, developers should add proper input validation to ensure that the input web content does not exceed the buffer size:

void process_web_content_fixed(char *input) {
    char buffer[100];
    
    // Improved code with proper input validation
    size_t input_length = strlen(input);
    if (input_length < sizeof(buffer)) {
        strcpy(buffer, input);
    } else {
        // Handle the error condition (e.g., log an error message)
    }
    
    // Do something with the web content
}

References

1. Original Apple Security Advisory - Apple Security Update
2. CVE Details - CVE-2023-28204
3. National Vulnerability Database - NVD - CVE-2023-28204

Conclusion: To protect your Apple devices and software from this critical vulnerability, make sure to apply the necessary security updates. Regularly updating your devices ensures that they are protected against the latest exploits and issues. Additionally, developers should always use proper input validation techniques when handling user-supplied data to prevent out-of-bounds read and similar types of vulnerabilities.

Timeline

Published on: 06/23/2023 18:15:00 UTC
Last modified on: 07/27/2023 04:15:00 UTC