CVE-2017-13852

Vulnerability

CVE-2017-13852 is an information-disclosure issue in the Kernel component of Apple iOS prior to 11.1, macOS prior to 10.13.1, tvOS prior to 11.1, and watchOS prior to 4.1 [1][2][3][4]. The bug allows a crafted application to monitor arbitrary apps by accessing process information at a high rate, bypassing normal sandbox restrictions [1][2][3][4].

Exploitation

To exploit, an attacker must first install a malicious app on the target device [1]. The attacker does not need elevated privileges but does require the app to run and repeatedly query kernel-level process information at a high frequency [1]. No user interaction beyond installing the app is required, and the attacker can monitor other running applications on the system [1][2][3][4].

Impact

Successful exploitation enables the attacker to observe the existence and possibly the identity of other apps running on the device, leading to an information disclosure of user activity and installed applications [1][2][3][4]. The compromise is limited to the app-monitoring context and does not provide remote code execution or privilege escalation [1].

Mitigation

Apple addressed the issue with the release of iOS 11.1, macOS High Sierra 10.13.1, tvOS 11.1, and watchOS 4.1, all available on October 31, 2017 [1][2][3][4]. Users should update their devices to the latest available versions. No workaround is documented; updating is the recommended mitigation [1][2][3][4].