In May 2022, Apple patched a dangerous vulnerability tracked as CVE-2022-26700 that lurked in many of its most popular platforms: tvOS, watchOS, iOS, iPadOS, macOS Monterey, and Safari. This post breaks down in simple language what CVE-2022-26700 is, how attackers could have used it, the impact it had, and how Apple fixed the issue for its users.

What is CVE-2022-26700?

CVE-2022-26700 is a memory corruption vulnerability that allowed attackers to gain code execution privileges on your device. It happened due to improper state management while processing certain web content.

Fixed In:

- iOS/iPadOS 15.5, tvOS 15.5, watchOS 8.6, macOS Monterey 12.4, Safari 15.5

In simple words: If an attacker tricked you into visiting a malicious website or viewing a booby-trapped ad, they could run code on your device – potentially installing malware, stealing information, or even taking control.

While Apple didn’t disclose deep technical details, we do know these key points

- The bug arises when processing certain web content—this usually means JavaScript or HTML crafted in a specific way.
- The bug results in memory corruption—which means part of your device’s memory is corrupted, giving a hacker ways to run code.

Example Snippet (Hypothetical)

Let’s consider a simplified example. Suppose there’s a web engine function in WebKit (Safari’s underlying engine):

void processContent(char* input) {
    char buf[256];
    strcpy(buf, input); // Dangerous - no size check!
    // ...do stuff...
}

If an attacker sends a very long input, they could overwrite the memory beyond buf, possibly altering instructions and running their own code. Real-world vulnerabilities are more subtle, but the general concept is similar.

What Does “Improved State Management” Mean?

The Apple advisory said the bug was “addressed with improved state management.” This points to something like:

Trick (or phish) users into visiting it using Safari on a vulnerable Apple device.

3. When the content is loaded, the exploit triggers, causing memory corruption and letting the attacker run code on the user’s system.

For a more advanced (but fictionalized) attack using this bug, an attacker might have used JavaScript like:

// Crafted JavaScript to trigger misuse of objects
let hugeString = "A".repeat(10000);
document.write(hugeString);
// Additional JS to trigger underlying bug...

Result: The browser or app crashes, or worse, it runs the attacker’s code behind the scenes.

Linking to References

- Apple Security Advisory: CVE-2022-26700
- CVE Details - CVE-2022-26700
- Archived NVD CVE-2022-26700 Entry

They can be chained with other bugs to escape browser sandboxes.

For users:
If you use Safari, iOS, iPadOS, Apple Watch, TV, or even just browse the web with a Mac, you were at risk if you hadn’t updated after May 2022.

How Apple Fixed It

Apple’s release notes say:
> “A memory corruption issue was addressed with improved state management.”

Translation:
They reviewed the code, identified spots where internal state tracking (like buffer lengths, object lifetimes, etc.) could be mishandled, and added better checks and balances.

If you’re on

- iPhone or iPad with iOS/iPadOS 15.5 or above

CVE-2022-26700 was a serious WebKit memory corruption bug patched in May 2022.

- It let attackers execute malicious code on iPhones, iPads, Macs, Watches, and even TVs simply by visiting a toxic website.

References

- Apple’s Security Update for CVE-2022-26700
- NVD Entry


If you found this post useful, consider sharing it or setting your Apple devices to update automatically! Stay safe online!

Timeline

Published on: 09/23/2022 19:15:00 UTC
Last modified on: 09/27/2022 20:40:00 UTC