CVE-2015-5812

Vulnerability

CVE-2015-5812 is a memory corruption vulnerability in WebKit, the rendering engine used by Apple iOS (before 9) and iTunes (before 12.3). The bug is triggered when processing maliciously crafted web content, leading to memory corruption. No specific configuration or user interaction beyond visiting a crafted website is required. The vulnerability is distinct from other WebKit CVEs addressed in the same security updates [1][3].

Exploitation

An attacker can exploit this vulnerability by hosting a specially crafted website and luring a victim to visit it using a vulnerable version of iOS or iTunes. No additional privileges or network position beyond serving the malicious content is needed. The exact exploitation steps are not publicly detailed, but the memory corruption can be leveraged to achieve arbitrary code execution.

Impact

Successful exploitation allows a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the affected application, or cause a denial of service (application crash). This could lead to full compromise of the device or system, depending on the context (e.g., iOS sandbox restrictions may limit impact). The vulnerability is rated as critical due to the potential for remote code execution.

Mitigation

Apple addressed CVE-2015-5812 in iOS 9 (released September 16, 2015) [1] and iTunes 12.3 (released September 16, 2015) [3]. Users should update to these versions or later. No workarounds are available for unpatched systems. The vulnerability is not listed in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog as of this writing.