CVE-2019-8738 – CVE-2019-8738 is a memory corruption vulnerabil... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2019-8738?

CVE-2019-8738 has a CVSS score of 7.8 (HIGH). CVE-2019-8738 is a memory corruption vulnerability in Xcode that allows arbitrary code execution when processing malicious files. This affects developers using Xcode to build applications, potentially compromising their development environments and allowing attackers to execute malicious code with the privileges of the Xcode process.

📋 TL;DR

CVE-2019-8738 is a memory corruption vulnerability in Xcode that allows arbitrary code execution when processing malicious files. This affects developers using Xcode to build applications, potentially compromising their development environments and allowing attackers to execute malicious code with the privileges of the Xcode process.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Xcode

Versions: Versions prior to Xcode 11.0

Operating Systems: macOS

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Only affects Xcode on macOS. Developers who process untrusted files with Xcode are at highest risk.

📦 What is this software?

Xcode by Apple

View all CVEs affecting Xcode →

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Complete compromise of developer workstation leading to theft of source code, credentials, and deployment of malicious software to production systems.

🟠

Likely Case

Targeted attack against developers to gain access to source code repositories and build pipelines.

🟢

If Mitigated

Limited impact if developers only process trusted files and work in isolated environments.

🌐 Internet-Facing: LOW - Xcode is typically not exposed to the internet directly.

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Attackers could target developers through phishing or compromised internal resources.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: UNKNOWN

Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No

Complexity: MEDIUM

Requires user interaction to open malicious file. No public exploit code available.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Xcode 11.0 and later

Vendor Advisory: https://support.apple.com/HT210609

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Open App Store on macOS. 2. Search for Xcode. 3. Click 'Update' to install Xcode 11.0 or later. 4. Restart system after installation.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Avoid processing untrusted files

all

Only open files from trusted sources in Xcode

Sandbox Xcode usage

all

Run Xcode in isolated environment or virtual machine

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Restrict Xcode to only process files from trusted sources and directories
Implement application whitelisting to prevent execution of unauthorized code

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check Xcode version: Open Xcode → About Xcode. If version is below 11.0, system is vulnerable.

Check Version:

xcodebuild -version

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify Xcode version is 11.0 or higher in About Xcode dialog.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Unexpected Xcode crashes
Suspicious file processing activity in Xcode

Network Indicators:

Unusual outbound connections from developer workstations

SIEM Query:

process_name:Xcode AND (event_type:crash OR file_access:unusual)

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2019-8738

CVSS v3 Score: 7.8 (HIGH)

CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CWE: CWE-787

Published: December 18, 2019

Last Updated: November 21, 2024

🔗 References

https://support.apple.com/HT210609 Vendor Advisory
https://support.apple.com/HT210609 Vendor Advisory

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🔗 Related Vulnerabilities

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