CVE-2024-40785
📋 TL;DR
This is a cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Apple's web content processing that allows attackers to inject malicious scripts into web pages viewed by users. It affects multiple Apple operating systems and Safari browser versions. Successful exploitation could lead to session hijacking, credential theft, or other client-side attacks.
💻 Affected Systems
- iOS
- iPadOS
- Safari
- watchOS
- tvOS
- visionOS
- macOS Sonoma
📦 What is this software?
Ipados by Apple
Ipados by Apple
Macos by Apple
macOS is Apple's desktop and laptop operating system powering Mac computers used by millions of professionals, developers, creative professionals, and enterprise users worldwide. Built on a Unix foundation with the Darwin kernel and modern Cocoa frameworks, macOS delivers a seamless ecosystem integr...
Learn more about Macos →Safari by Apple
Tvos by Apple
Watchos by Apple
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete account takeover, credential theft, session hijacking, and unauthorized actions performed on behalf of authenticated users.
Likely Case
Session hijacking, credential theft, and unauthorized access to user data through malicious script execution in the browser context.
If Mitigated
Limited impact due to Content Security Policy (CSP) headers, input validation, and output encoding preventing script execution.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires user interaction (visiting malicious website) but no authentication. Technical details not publicly disclosed in provided references.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: iOS 16.7.9, iPadOS 16.7.9, Safari 17.6, iOS 17.6, iPadOS 17.6, watchOS 10.6, tvOS 17.6, visionOS 1.3, macOS Sonoma 14.6
Vendor Advisory: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT214108
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Open Settings app. 2. Go to General > Software Update. 3. Download and install available updates. 4. Restart device when prompted.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Enable Content Security Policy
allImplement strict CSP headers to prevent inline script execution and restrict script sources.
Content-Security-Policy: script-src 'self'
Disable JavaScript for Untrusted Sites
allConfigure browser to block JavaScript execution on untrusted websites.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement web application firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block XSS payloads
- Use browser extensions that block malicious scripts and enforce security policies
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check device/browser version against affected versions list. On Apple devices: Settings > General > About > Version.Check Version:
On macOS: sw_vers -productVersion. On iOS/iPadOS: Settings > General > About > Version.Verify Fix Applied:
Confirm version number matches or exceeds patched versions listed in fix_official section.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual JavaScript execution patterns
- Suspicious script tags in web server logs
- Unexpected DOM manipulation events
Network Indicators:
- Malicious script payloads in HTTP requests
- Suspicious redirects to external domains
- Unusual outbound connections from browsers
SIEM Query:
source="web_server" AND ("<script>" OR "javascript:" OR "onload=" OR "onerror=")🔗 References
- http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2024/Jul/15
- http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2024/Jul/16
- http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2024/Jul/17
- http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2024/Jul/18
- http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2024/Jul/21
- http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2024/Jul/22
- http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2024/Jul/23
- https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT214116
- https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT214117
- https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT214119
- https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT214121
- https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT214122
- https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT214123
- https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT214124
- http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2024/Jul/15
- http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2024/Jul/16
- http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2024/Jul/17
- http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2024/Jul/18
- http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2024/Jul/21
- http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2024/Jul/22
- http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2024/Jul/23
- https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2024/09/msg00006.html
- https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT214116
- https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT214117
- https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT214119
- https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT214121
- https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT214122
- https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT214123
- https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT214124
- https://support.apple.com/kb/HT214116
- https://support.apple.com/kb/HT214117
- https://support.apple.com/kb/HT214119
- https://support.apple.com/kb/HT214122
- https://support.apple.com/kb/HT214124
