CVE-2014-1348

Vulnerability

In Apple iOS versions prior to 7.1.2, the Mail application advertises the availability of data protection for attachments but actually stores attachments in cleartext under the path mobile/Library/Mail/. This misrepresentation means that attachments are not encrypted at rest, contrary to user expectations. The vulnerability affects all devices running iOS versions before 7.1.2.

Exploitation

An attacker with physical proximity to the device can exploit this vulnerability by mounting the data partition (e.g., using forensic tools or direct access to the device's storage). Once the partition is mounted, the attacker can navigate to mobile/Library/Mail/ and read any attachments stored there in cleartext. No authentication or user interaction is required beyond physical access to the device.

Impact

Successful exploitation allows the attacker to obtain sensitive information contained in email attachments, such as documents, images, or other files. This constitutes a breach of confidentiality, as the attacker can read the contents without needing to bypass any encryption or authentication mechanisms. The scope is limited to physically proximate attackers, but the impact can be severe if the attachments contain personal or confidential data.

Mitigation

Apple addressed this issue in iOS 7.1.2, released on June 30, 2014. Users should update their devices to iOS 7.1.2 or later to ensure that attachments are properly protected. No workarounds are available for earlier versions; the only mitigation is to apply the update.