CVE-2014-4495

Vulnerability

CVE-2014-4495 is a kernel vulnerability in Apple iOS, OS X, and Apple TV. The kernel fails to enforce the read-only attribute of a shared memory segment when a custom cache mode is used. This allows a crafted app to bypass intended access restrictions. 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].

Exploitation

An attacker must have the ability to run a crafted app on the target device. No additional authentication or network access is required beyond the ability to execute the malicious app locally. The attacker would create a shared memory segment and use a custom cache mode that causes the kernel to ignore the read-only attribute, enabling unintended read-write access to the segment.

Impact

A successful exploit allows the attacker to bypass the read-only restriction on shared memory, potentially leading to unauthorized memory access. This could result in disclosure of sensitive information or modification of memory contents, depending on the attacker's goals. The vulnerability does not directly provide remote code execution, but it lowers the security barrier for further exploitation.

Mitigation

Apple addressed this vulnerability in OS X Yosemite v10.10.2 (and Security Update 2015-001), iOS 8.1.3, and Apple TV 7.0.3 [1][2][3]. Users should update their devices to the latest available versions. There is no publicly documented workaround. The issue is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog at the time of writing.