CVE-2019-8552

Vulnerability

A memory initialization issue exists in the operating system kernel of Apple iOS, macOS Mojave, tvOS, and watchOS. The bug allows a malicious application to read or write uninitialized memory, potentially leading to privilege escalation. Affected versions are iOS prior to 12.2, macOS Mojave prior to 10.14.4, tvOS prior to 12.2, and watchOS prior to 5.2 [1][2][3][4].

Exploitation

An attacker must have the ability to run a malicious application on the target device. No additional network position or user interaction is required beyond installing and executing the app. The application triggers the memory initialization flaw by performing specific operations that cause the kernel to access uninitialized memory, thereby corrupting kernel state.

Impact

Successful exploitation allows the malicious application to elevate its privileges, potentially gaining kernel-level access. This could lead to full compromise of the device, including the ability to execute arbitrary code with system privileges, access sensitive data, or install additional malware.

Mitigation

Apple addressed the issue in iOS 12.2, macOS Mojave 10.14.4, tvOS 12.2, and watchOS 5.2, released on March 25, 2019 (March 27 for watchOS) [1][2][3][4]. Users should update to these or later versions. No workarounds are available. The vulnerability is not listed on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.