CVE-2014-4487

Vulnerability

A buffer overflow vulnerability exists in the IOHIDFamily component of Apple's operating systems. The affected versions are Apple iOS before 8.1.3, Apple OS X before 10.10.2, and Apple TV before 7.0.3 [1][2][3]. The bug is triggered when a crafted application interacts with the IOHIDFamily framework, which handles human interface devices. No special configuration is needed beyond the ability to run an untrusted application on the device.

Exploitation

To exploit this vulnerability, an attacker must convince a user to install a malicious application on a vulnerable device. No specific user interaction is required beyond the installation, as the exploit is triggered automatically when the app runs. The attacker does not need any particular network position; local access to the device is sufficient. The crafted app sends specially crafted data to the IOHIDFamily component, causing a buffer overflow [1][2][3].

Impact

Successful exploitation allows the attacker to execute arbitrary code in a privileged kernel context. This means the attacker gains complete control over the device, including the ability to bypass all security restrictions, access sensitive data, and install additional software without user consent [1][2][3]. The impact is a full compromise of the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the affected system.

Mitigation

Apple has released fixes for this vulnerability as part of iOS 8.1.3, OS X Yosemite v10.10.2, and Apple TV 7.0.3 [1][2][3]. Users should update their devices to these versions or later. There are no known workarounds for this issue, and it is not listed on CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog at the time of writing.