CVE-2014-1273

Vulnerability

dyld, the dynamic linker in Apple iOS before 7.1 and Apple TV before 6.1, fails to properly validate text-relocation instructions in a dynamic library. This condition allows a library containing such instructions to bypass code-signing enforcement during loading. Affected versions include iOS 7.0.x and earlier, and Apple TV 6.0.x and earlier [1][2].

Exploitation

An attacker must provide a crafted dynamic library that includes text-relocation instructions. The library can be loaded into a process with user-level privileges; no additional authentication is required beyond standard app execution. The attacker does not need physical device access, but must convince the user to run an app that loads the malicious library, or already have the ability to write files to the device.

Impact

Successful exploitation allows the attacker to load arbitrary unsigned or improperly signed code, bypassing Apple's code-signing requirement. This undermines the fundamental security boundary of the iOS and tvOS platforms, potentially enabling further malicious activity such as privilege escalation, data theft, or other local attacks. The compromise occurs at the system level, as dyld runs with elevated privileges.

Mitigation

Apple addressed this vulnerability in iOS 7.1 and Apple TV 6.1, released on March 10, 2014 [1][2]. Users should update to these versions or later. No workarounds are available for earlier versions; the only mitigation is applying the software update.