Advisory Details

May 15th, 2017

(Pwn2Own) Apple macOS WindowServer _XGetWindowMovementGroup Stack-based Buffer Overflow Privilege Escalation Vulnerability

ZDI-17-349
ZDI-CAN-4600

CVE ID CVE-2017-2541
CVSS SCORE 4.4, AV:L/AC:M/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P
AFFECTED VENDORS Apple
AFFECTED PRODUCTS macOS
VULNERABILITY DETAILS


This vulnerability allows local attackers to escalate privileges on vulnerable installations of Apple macOS. An attacker must first obtain the ability to execute low-privileged code on the target system in order to exploit this vulnerability.

The specific flaw exists within the WindowServer process. The issue results from the lack of proper validation of the length of user-supplied data prior to copying it to a stack-based buffer. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to escalate privileges under the context of the WindowServer.
ADDITIONAL DETAILS Apple has issued an update to correct this vulnerability. More details can be found at:
https://support.apple.com/kb/HT201222
DISCLOSURE TIMELINE
  • 2017-03-15 - Vulnerability reported to vendor
  • 2017-05-15 - Coordinated public release of advisory
CREDIT Richard Zhu (fluorescence)
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