Privilege Elevation, Arbitrary Code Execution, DoS – Apple’s Latest iOS 12.1 Brings Fixes to Several Critical Security Issues

Oct 30, 2018

Apple has released a new iPad Pro and MacBook Air today. Along with the new products, the company has also started rolling out iOS 12.1 bringing several new features and quite a long list of security fixes.

In today’s release, iOS 12.1 addresses some critical security vulnerabilities (Apple doesn’t assign its security flaws a severity rating) that include, among others:

Remote attacker could initiate a FaceTime call causing arbitrary code execution
An application may be able to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges
An application may be able to read restricted memory
Processing a maliciously crafted text message may lead to UI spoofing
An attacker in a privileged position may be able to perform a denial of service attack
Connecting to a VPN server may leak DNS queries to a DNS proxy
Processing a maliciously crafted vcf file may lead to a denial of service

Apple has acknowledged a number of security researchers and white hat hackers for identifying and reporting the security vulnerabilities. Google Project Zero maintains its usual presence with quite a list of issues being reported by them, along with Trend Micro, Pangu Team, Mohamed Ghannam (@_simo36), Rayyan Bijoora (@Bijoora), Ryan Pickren, and others.

The latest iOS 12.1 is now available for iPhone 5s and later, iPad Air and later, and iPod touch 6th generation. Here is every security issue that iOS 12.1 promises to fix.

Security content of iOS 12.1 – complete changelog

AppleAVD

Impact: Processing malicious video via FaceTime may lead to arbitrary code execution

Description: A memory corruption issue was addressed with improved input validation.

CVE-2018-4384: Natalie Silvanovich of Google Project Zero

Contacts

Impact: Processing a maliciously crafted vcf file may lead to a denial of service

Description: An out-of-bounds read was addressed with improved bounds checking.

CVE-2018-4365: an anonymous researcher

CoreCrypto

Impact: An attacker may be able to exploit a weakness in the Miller-Rabin primality test to incorrectly identify prime numbers

Description: An issue existed in the method for determining prime numbers. This issue was addressed by using pseudorandom bases for testing of primes.

CVE-2018-4398: Martin Albrecht, Jake Massimo and Kenny Paterson of Royal Holloway, University of London, and Juraj Somorovsky of Ruhr University, Bochum

FaceTime

Impact: A remote attacker may be able to leak memory

Description: A memory corruption issue was addressed with improved input validation.

CVE-2018-4366: Natalie Silvanovich of Google Project Zero

FaceTime

Impact: A remote attacker may be able to initiate a FaceTime call causing arbitrary code execution

Description: A memory corruption issue was addressed with improved input validation.

CVE-2018-4367: Natalie Silvanovich of Google Project Zero

Graphics Driver

Impact: A remote attacker may be able to initiate a FaceTime call causing arbitrary code execution

Description: A memory corruption issue was addressed with improved input validation.

CVE-2018-4384: Natalie Silvanovich of Google Project Zero

ICU

Impact: Processing a maliciously crafted string may lead to heap corruption

Description: A memory corruption issue was addressed with improved input validation.

CVE-2018-4394: an anonymous researcher

IOHIDFamily

Impact: An application may be able to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges

Description: A memory corruption issue was addressed with improved memory handling.

CVE-2018-4427: Pangu Team

IPSec

Impact: An application may be able to gain elevated privileges

Description: An out-of-bounds read was addressed with improved input validation.

CVE-2018-4371: Tim Michaud (@TimGMichaud) of Leviathan Security Group

Kernel

Impact: An application may be able to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges

Description: A memory corruption issue was addressed by removing the vulnerable code.

CVE-2018-4420: Mohamed Ghannam (@_simo36)

Kernel

Impact: An application may be able to read restricted memory

Description: A memory initialization issue was addressed with improved memory handling.

CVE-2018-4413: Juwei Lin (@panicaII) of TrendMicro Mobile Security Team

Kernel

Impact: An application may be able to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges

Description: A memory corruption issue was addressed with improved memory handling.

CVE-2018-4419: Mohamed Ghannam (@_simo36)

Messages

Impact: Processing a maliciously crafted text message may lead to UI spoofing

Description: An inconsistent user interface issue was addressed with improved state management.

CVE-2018-4390: Rayyan Bijoora (@Bijoora) of The City School, PAF Chapter

CVE-2018-4391: Rayyan Bijoora (@Bijoora) of The City School, PAF Chapter

NetworkExtension

Impact: Connecting to a VPN server may leak DNS queries to a DNS proxy

Description: A logic issue was addressed with improved state management.

CVE-2018-4369: an anonymous researcher

Notes

Impact: A local attacker may be able to share items from the lock screen

Description: A lock screen issue allowed access to the share function on a locked device. This issue was addressed by restricting options offered on a locked device.

CVE-2018-4388: videosdebarraquito

Safari Reader

Impact: Enabling the Safari Reader feature on a maliciously crafted webpage may lead to universal cross site scripting

Description: A logic issue was addressed with improved validation.

CVE-2018-4374: Ryan Pickren (ryanpickren.com)

Safari Reader

Impact: Enabling the Safari Reader feature on a maliciously crafted webpage may lead to universal cross site scripting

Description: A cross-site scripting issue existed in Safari. This issue was addressed with improved URL validation.

CVE-2018-4377: Ryan Pickren (ryanpickren.com)

Security

Impact: Processing a maliciously crafted S/MIME signed message may lead to a denial of service

Description: A validation issue was addressed with improved logic.

CVE-2018-4400: Yukinobu Nagayasu of LAC Co., Ltd.

VoiceOver

Impact: A local attacker may be able to view photos from the lock screen

Description: A lock screen issue allowed access to photos via Reply With Message on a locked device. This issue was addressed with improved state management.

CVE-2018-4387: videosdebarraquito

WebKit

Impact: Visiting a malicious website may lead to address bar spoofing

Description: A logic issue was addressed with improved state management.

CVE-2018-4385: an anonymous researcher

WebKit

Impact: Processing maliciously crafted web content may lead to arbitrary code execution

Description: Multiple memory corruption issues were addressed with improved memory handling.

CVE-2018-4372: HyungSeok Han, DongHyeon Oh, and Sang Kil Cha of KAIST Softsec Lab, Korea

CVE-2018-4373: ngg, alippai, DirtYiCE, KT of Tresorit working with Trend Micro’s Zero Day Initiative

CVE-2018-4375: Yu Haiwan and Wu Hongjun From Nanyang Technological University working with Trend Micro’s Zero Day Initiative

CVE-2018-4376: 010 working with Trend Micro’s Zero Day Initiative

CVE-2018-4382: lokihardt of Google Project Zero

CVE-2018-4386: lokihardt of Google Project Zero

CVE-2018-4392: zhunki of 360 ESG Codesafe Team

CVE-2018-4416: lokihardt of Google Project Zero

WebKit

Impact: A malicious website may be able to cause a denial of service

Description: A resource exhaustion issue was addressed with improved input validation.

CVE-2018-4409: Sabri Haddouche (@pwnsdx) of Wire Swiss GmbH

WebKit

Impact: Processing maliciously crafted web content may lead to code execution

Description: A memory corruption issue was addressed with improved validation.

CVE-2018-4378: an anonymous researcher, zhunki of 360 ESG Codesafe Team

WiFi

Impact: An attacker in a privileged position may be able to perform a denial of service attack

Description: A denial of service issue was addressed with improved validation.

CVE-2018-4368: Milan Stute and Alex Mariotto of Secure Mobile Networking Lab at Technische Universität Darmstadt