CVE-2019-8848 – This vulnerability allows an application to gai... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2019-8848?

CVE-2019-8848 has a CVSS score of 7.8 (HIGH). This vulnerability allows an application to gain elevated privileges on affected Apple systems. It affects multiple Apple operating systems and software versions prior to specific security updates. Attackers could potentially execute arbitrary code with higher permissions than intended.

📋 TL;DR

This vulnerability allows an application to gain elevated privileges on affected Apple systems. It affects multiple Apple operating systems and software versions prior to specific security updates. Attackers could potentially execute arbitrary code with higher permissions than intended.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

tvOS
watchOS
iCloud for Windows
macOS
iOS
iPadOS
iTunes for Windows

Versions: Versions prior to tvOS 13.3, watchOS 6.1.1, iCloud for Windows 10.9, macOS Catalina 10.15.2, Security Update 2019-002 Mojave, Security Update 2019-007 High Sierra, iOS 13.3, iPadOS 13.3, iTunes 12.10.3 for Windows, iCloud for Windows 7.16

Operating Systems: tvOS, watchOS, macOS, iOS, iPadOS, Windows (for iCloud/iTunes components)

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: All default configurations of affected versions are vulnerable. The vulnerability affects both desktop and mobile Apple ecosystems.

📦 What is this software?

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

An attacker gains full system control through privilege escalation, potentially leading to data theft, system compromise, or installation of persistent malware.

🟠

Likely Case

Malicious applications bypass security restrictions to access sensitive data or system resources they shouldn't have access to.

🟢

If Mitigated

With proper patching, the vulnerability is eliminated; with network segmentation, lateral movement is limited even if exploited.

🌐 Internet-Facing: MEDIUM - While exploitation typically requires local access, internet-facing systems could be targeted through drive-by downloads or malicious applications.

🏢 Internal Only: HIGH - Internal systems are vulnerable to privilege escalation attacks from malicious or compromised applications.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: UNKNOWN

Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No

Complexity: MEDIUM

Exploitation requires an attacker to have an application running on the target system. No public exploit code is known, but Apple has addressed it as a serious privilege escalation issue.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: tvOS 13.3, watchOS 6.1.1, iCloud for Windows 10.9, macOS Catalina 10.15.2, Security Update 2019-002 Mojave, Security Update 2019-007 High Sierra, iOS 13.3, iPadOS 13.3, iTunes 12.10.3 for Windows, iCloud for Windows 7.16

Vendor Advisory: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT210785

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Open System Preferences (macOS) or Settings (iOS/iPadOS). 2. Go to Software Update. 3. Install the latest available update. 4. For Windows components, update through Apple Software Update or download from Apple's website. 5. Restart the device after installation.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Application Restriction

all

Limit installation of applications to only trusted sources and implement application whitelisting where possible.

User Privilege Reduction

all

Run with standard user privileges instead of administrative privileges to limit potential impact.

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Implement strict application control policies to prevent unauthorized applications from running
Segment affected systems from critical network resources and monitor for unusual privilege escalation attempts

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check system version against affected versions list. On macOS: 'sw_vers -productVersion'. On iOS/iPadOS: Settings > General > About > Version.

Check Version:

macOS: 'sw_vers -productVersion', iOS/iPadOS: Check in Settings > General > About, Windows: Check Apple software version in installed programs

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify system version matches or exceeds patched versions listed in the fix information.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Unexpected privilege escalation events
Applications requesting elevated permissions unexpectedly
System integrity protection (SIP) violations on macOS

Network Indicators:

Unusual outbound connections from system processes
Communication with known malicious domains from elevated processes

SIEM Query:

source="apple_system_logs" AND (event_type="privilege_escalation" OR process_name="*" AND privilege_change="true")

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2019-8848

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

Published: October 27, 2020

Last Updated: November 21, 2024

🔗 References

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT210785 Release Notes,Vendor Advisory
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT210788 Release Notes,Vendor Advisory
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT210789 Release Notes,Vendor Advisory
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT210790 Release Notes,Vendor Advisory
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT210793 Release Notes,Vendor Advisory
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT210794 Release Notes,Vendor Advisory
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT210795 Release Notes,Vendor Advisory
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT210785 Release Notes,Vendor Advisory
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT210788 Release Notes,Vendor Advisory
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT210789 Release Notes,Vendor Advisory
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT210790 Release Notes,Vendor Advisory
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT210793 Release Notes,Vendor Advisory
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT210794 Release Notes,Vendor Advisory
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT210795 Release Notes,Vendor Advisory

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