CVE-2014-4481

Vulnerability

An integer overflow vulnerability exists in the CoreGraphics component of Apple iOS (before 8.1.3), OS X (before 10.10.2), and Apple TV (before 7.0.3). The flaw occurs during the processing of PDF files, allowing a remote attacker to trigger arbitrary code execution or cause a denial of service via a specially crafted PDF document. [1][2][3]

Exploitation

An attacker can exploit this vulnerability by delivering a malicious PDF file to the target system. The user must be tricked into opening the PDF, typically through email, web download, or other means. No authentication or special network position is required; the attack is remote and relies on user interaction. [2][3]

Impact

Successful exploitation allows an attacker to execute arbitrary code on the affected device or cause the application to crash (denial of service). The code executes within the context of the CoreGraphics process, which may have limited privileges depending on the platform. This could lead to unauthorized data access, modification, or system compromise. [2][3]

Mitigation

Apple has released patches for this vulnerability in iOS 8.1.3, OS X Yosemite 10.10.2 (and Security Update 2015-001 for Mavericks), and Apple TV 7.0.3. Users should update their devices to these versions or later. No workarounds are available if the system cannot be updated. [1][2][3]