(Pwn2Own) Apple Safari MutationObserver Use-After-Free Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

February 7th, 2018
ZDI-18-146 ZDI-CAN-5340

CVE ID

CVE-2017-13870

CVSS Score

6.8 AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P

Affected Vendors

Apple

Affected Products

Safari

Vulnerability Details


This vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on vulnerable installations of Apple Safari. User interaction is required to exploit this vulnerability in that the target must visit a malicious page or open a malicious file.

The specific flaw exists within the handling of Node objects. By performing actions in JavaScript, an attacker can cause a pointer to be reused after it has been freed. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute arbitrary code under the context of the current process.

Additional Details

Apple has issued an update to correct this vulnerability. More details can be found at:
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208324

Disclosure Timeline

  • 2017-11-02 - Vulnerability reported to vendor
  • 2018-02-07 - Coordinated public release of advisory
  • 2018-02-07 - Advisory Updated

Credit

Tencent Keen Security Lab

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