Overview
In the ever-evolving landscape of cybersecurity, a significant vulnerability, identified as CVE-2023-32401, has been discovered that poses a substantial risk to macOS users. This vulnerability can cause an unexpected app termination or even enable an attacker to execute arbitrary code on macOS Monterey 12.6.6, Big Sur 11.7.7, and Ventura 13.4 systems. This issue is of considerable concern as it affects the wide user base of macOS and could potentially lead to severe system compromise or data leakage.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2023-32401
Severity: High (7.8 CVSS Score)
Attack Vector: Local Network
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: Required
Impact: System Compromise or Data Leakage
Affected Products
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Product | Affected Versions
macOS Monterey | 12.6.6
macOS Big Sur | 11.7.7
macOS Ventura | 13.4
How the Exploit Works
The vulnerability is a buffer overflow condition that arises due to inadequate bounds checking. When an affected version of macOS parses a specially crafted office document, it can trigger a buffer overflow. This overflow can lead to an unexpected application termination, or worse, allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code. The execution of arbitrary code can lead to unauthorized access, data manipulation, system compromise, or data leakage.
Conceptual Example Code
The following is a conceptual example of how the vulnerability might be exploited. In this instance, a malicious office document is created and sent to the victim:
# Create a malicious office document
$ echo "Buffer overflow payload" > malicious.docx
# Send the document to the victim
$ mail -s "Important Document" victim@example.com < malicious.docxUpon opening the document, the payload triggers a buffer overflow in the affected macOS system causing an unexpected application termination or potential arbitrary code execution.
Mitigation Guidance
Users are strongly urged to apply the vendor patch as soon as it is available. Until then, using a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or an Intrusion Detection System (IDS) can serve as temporary mitigation. These systems can detect and prevent buffer overflow attempts, providing some level of protection against this vulnerability.