Overview
CVE-2023-41075 is a high-severity vulnerability that affects multiple versions of macOS and iOS. This vulnerability can potentially compromise the entire system or lead to significant data leakage. If you or your organization utilize the affected versions of macOS or iOS, it’s imperative to understand the implications of this vulnerability and take immediate action to address it.
The vulnerability is due to a type confusion issue, which has been addressed with improved checks in later versions of the software. Unfortunately, affected versions remain vulnerable until patched, leaving systems exposed to potential attacks capable of executing arbitrary code with kernel privileges. Given the critical nature of kernel privileges, successful exploitation of this vulnerability can lead to full system compromise.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2023-41075
Severity: High (7.8 CVSS Score)
Attack Vector: Local
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: Required
Impact: Potential system compromise and data leakage
Affected Products
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Product | Affected Versions
macOS Big Sur | Up to 11.7.4
macOS Ventura | Up to 13.2
iOS | Up to 16.3, 15.7.3
iPadOS | Up to 16.3, 15.7.3
macOS Monterey | Up to 12.6.3
How the Exploit Works
The vulnerability, CVE-2023-41075, is a type confusion issue. Type confusion, also known as type discrepancy, occurs when the software doesn’t verify or incorrectly identifies the type of object or variable. This can lead to the execution of arbitrary code with kernel privileges if a malicious app is installed and executed on the system.
This type confusion exploit can allow attackers to manipulate the memory in unpredictable ways, potentially leading to a full system compromise. The process involves tricking the system into treating an object of one type as a different type, resulting in misinterpretation of the object’s data and potential execution of unintended operations.
Conceptual Example Code
Here is a
conceptual
example of how the vulnerability might be exploited. This pseudocode illustrates a type confusion scenario, where an object of Type A is treated as Type B, leading to harmful operations.
# Malicious app creates an object of TypeA
TypeA objectA = new TypeA();
# Malicious app tricks the system into treating objectA as TypeB
TypeB objectB = (TypeB) objectA;
# The system performs operations intended for TypeB, leading to harmful consequences
objectB.executeHarmfulOperation();This pseudocode is a simplification of a type confusion exploit scenario. The actual exploit would be much more complex, involving specific knowledge of the target system’s software and memory management.