CVE-2023-41992: Privilege Escalation Vulnerability in macOS and iOS, Patched and Exploited

A new vulnerability, tagged as CVE-2023-41992, has been discovered in the macOS and iOS operating systems. The issue was addressed by Apple with improved security checks in macOS Monterey 12.7, macOS Ventura 13.6, iOS 16.7, and iPadOS 16.7. This blog post will discuss the root cause of this vulnerability, its exploitation, and the corresponding fix provided by Apple.

Exploit Details

CVE-2023-41992 is a privilege escalation vulnerability allowing a local attacker to execute code in the context of the highest privilege level - the kernel. By exploiting this vulnerability, a malicious actor can elevate their privileges to bypass security mechanisms and potentially gain unauthorized access to system resources.

Apple has acknowledged reports that this issue may have been actively exploited on devices running iOS versions prior to iOS 16.7.

The following is an example of a simple exploit targeting the CVE-2023-41992 vulnerability

#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>

int main() {
    printf("Exploiting CVE-2023-41992\n");

    // Craft the malicious payload to elevate privileges
    // omitted for brevity
    
    // Trigger the vulnerability to execute the payload
    // omitted for brevity

    printf("Privilege escalated successfully\n");

    return ;
}

Original References

For more information about the vulnerability, along with the patch details, please refer to the following original sources:

1. Apple Security Advisory: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213221
2. CVE-2023-41992: https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2023-41992
3. NVD entry: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-41992

Patch and Fixes

To mitigate the risk of exploitation, affected users should promptly update their macOS and iOS devices to the latest software versions.

- macOS Monterey 12.7: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT212529
- macOS Ventura 13.6: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT212530
- iOS 16.7 and iPadOS 16.7: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT212531

Apple has fixed the vulnerability in these versions by implementing improved security checks, which prevent attackers from exploiting the flaw to elevate their privileges.

Conclusion

CVE-2023-41992 is a significant security flaw that affects millions of macOS and iOS devices worldwide. By promptly updating to the latest software versions, users can protect themselves from potential exploitation by malicious actors. Apple has demonstrated quick action in addressing this issue, which serves as a reminder of the importance of keeping our devices updated and secure at all times.

Timeline

Published on: 09/21/2023 19:15:00 UTC
Last modified on: 10/24/2023 13:00:00 UTC