CVE-2024-44233
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows an attacker to cause a denial-of-service (system crash) by tricking a user into opening a maliciously crafted video file. It affects multiple Apple operating systems including macOS, iOS, iPadOS, visionOS, watchOS, and tvOS. The issue stems from improper bounds checking when parsing video files.
💻 Affected Systems
- macOS
- iOS
- iPadOS
- visionOS
- watchOS
- tvOS
📦 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 →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 →Tvos by Apple
Watchos by Apple
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete system crash requiring reboot, potentially leading to data loss or service disruption if critical systems are affected.
Likely Case
Application or system crash when processing malicious video files, causing temporary disruption.
If Mitigated
No impact if systems are patched or if malicious video files are prevented from reaching vulnerable systems.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires user interaction to open a malicious video file. No public exploit code has been disclosed as of the advisory date.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: macOS Sonoma 14.7.1, macOS Ventura 13.7.1, visionOS 2.1, watchOS 11.1, tvOS 18.1, iOS 17.7.1, iPadOS 17.7.1, iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1
Vendor Advisory: https://support.apple.com/en-us/121563
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Go to Settings > General > Software Update on iOS/iPadOS/watchOS/tvOS/visionOS. 2. Go to System Settings > General > Software Update on macOS. 3. Download and install the latest update. 4. Restart the device when prompted.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict video file sources
allOnly open video files from trusted sources and avoid downloading video files from unknown websites or email attachments.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement application whitelisting to prevent execution of video players from untrusted locations.
- Use network filtering to block video file downloads from untrusted sources and educate users about the risks of opening unknown video files.
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check the operating system version against the affected versions listed in the advisory.Check Version:
On macOS: sw_vers -productVersion. On iOS/iPadOS: Settings > General > About > Version. On tvOS: Settings > General > About > Version. On watchOS: Settings > General > About > Version.Verify Fix Applied:
Verify that the operating system version matches or exceeds the patched versions listed in the fix information.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- System crash logs (panic logs) related to video processing
- Application crash reports from media players
Network Indicators:
- Unusual downloads of video files from untrusted sources
- Network traffic patterns indicating video file transfers to vulnerable systems
SIEM Query:
Search for system crash events with process names containing 'video', 'media', or related terms on Apple devices.