CVE-2014-4404
Apple OS X Heap-Based Buffer Overflow Vulnerability
Description
CVE-2014-4404 is a HIGH severity heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability in the IOHIDFamily component of Apple OS X, iOS, and Apple TV. The flaw affects OS X versions prior to 10.10, iOS versions prior to 8, and Apple TV versions prior to 7, allowing a local attacker to execute arbitrary code in a privileged context by exploiting the buffer overflow in the Human Interface Device (HID) driver subsystem. Classified under CWE-787 (Out-of-bounds Write), this vulnerability carries a CVSS 3.1 score of 7.8 and an EPSS score of 0.61995 (98.3rd percentile), indicating very high exploitation activity. CVE-2014-4404 is listed in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog with a remediation deadline of August 10, 2022, though no specific ransomware association is documented.
KEV Information
CVSS Score
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HOpen in CalculatorAffected Products
| Vendor | Product | Version |
|---|---|---|
| apple | iphone os | < 8.0 |
| apple | mac os x | < 10.10.0; >= 10.10.1, < 10.10.3 |
| apple | tvos | < 7.0 |
Multiple CVSS Assessments
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
References
- http://archives.neohapsis.com/archives/bugtraq/2014-09/0106.html(Broken Link)
- http://archives.neohapsis.com/archives/bugtraq/2014-09/0107.html(Broken Link)
- http://archives.neohapsis.com/archives/bugtraq/2014-10/0101.html(Broken Link)
- http://lists.apple.com/archives/security-announce/2015/Apr/msg00001.html(Mailing List, Vendor Advisory)
- http://support.apple.com/kb/HT6441(Vendor Advisory)
- http://support.apple.com/kb/HT6442(Vendor Advisory)
- http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/69882(Broken Link, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry)
- http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/69947(Broken Link, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry)
- http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1030866(Broken Link, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry)
- https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/96111(Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry)
- https://support.apple.com/HT204659(Vendor Advisory)
- https://support.apple.com/kb/HT6535(Vendor Advisory)
- https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2014-4404(US Government Resource)
Weakness Type
CWE-787: Out-of-bounds Write
Out-of-bounds Write (CWE-787) is a vulnerability that occurs when software writes data to a memory location outside the intended boundaries of a buffer. This can happen through buffer overflows, incorrect array indexing, pointer arithmetic errors, or integer overflows affecting size calculations. Out-of-bounds writes are extremely dangerous because they can corrupt adjacent data, overwrite control flow information such as return addresses and function pointers, modify security flags, or corrupt heap metadata. The 2021 CWE Top 25 ranked Out-of-bounds Write as the number one most dangerous software weakness due to its direct path to arbitrary code execution.
In CVE-2014-4404, the IOHIDFamily kernel extension in Apple operating systems contains a heap-based buffer overflow that occurs during the processing of Human Interface Device (HID) data. The IOHIDFamily is a kernel-level framework responsible for handling input from devices such as keyboards, mice, touchscreens, and game controllers. When processing specially crafted HID data, the driver writes beyond the allocated heap buffer, corrupting adjacent heap metadata and potentially overwriting critical kernel data structures. Because IOHIDFamily runs in the kernel context with the highest privileges, exploitation of this buffer overflow enables code execution at the kernel level, granting the attacker complete control over the device. Learn more about CWE-787 at turingsecure.com.
Impact Analysis
CVE-2014-4404 carries a CVSS 3.1 score of 7.8 (HIGH) with an Unchanged scope, reflecting severe local impact when the heap-based buffer overflow is triggered.
Confidentiality (High): Kernel-level code execution provides the attacker with unrestricted access to all data on the affected Apple device. On iOS, this includes contacts, messages, emails, photos, keychain credentials, and data from all installed applications. On macOS, the attacker gains access to all user files, system credentials, encryption keys, and FileVault recovery data. Kernel access bypasses all application sandboxing and data protection mechanisms that normally isolate sensitive information.
Integrity (High): With kernel privileges, an attacker can modify any file on the filesystem, patch kernel code in memory, install rootkits or persistent implants, disable code signing enforcement, and alter system security policies. On iOS, kernel-level access is the foundation for jailbreaking, which disables the entire security model of the platform. The attacker can modify the behavior of any application, inject code into running processes, and tamper with security-critical system services.
Availability (High): Kernel-level code execution enables the attacker to crash the entire operating system (kernel panic), corrupt the filesystem, brick the device through firmware modification, or render the system permanently inoperable. On mobile devices, this could result in permanent loss of access to all stored data if the device is bricked.
Scope (Unchanged): The scope is Unchanged as the exploitation occurs within the Apple operating system kernel. However, on devices that serve as development machines, management hosts, or are connected to enterprise networks, kernel compromise can enable attacks against connected systems and infrastructure. The EPSS score of 0.61995 at the 98.3rd percentile indicates very high real-world exploitation activity for this vulnerability.
Exploit Maturity
Active Exploitation: CVE-2014-4404 has been confirmed as actively exploited in the wild, as evidenced by its inclusion in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog on February 10, 2022. IOHIDFamily vulnerabilities have historically been prime targets for iOS jailbreak development and advanced persistent threat (APT) operations targeting Apple devices.
Ransomware Association: CISA's KEV catalog does not indicate a known ransomware association for CVE-2014-4404. However, kernel-level vulnerabilities in Apple operating systems are highly valued in the exploit market and are commonly used in targeted surveillance operations rather than commodity ransomware campaigns.
Public Exploits: Technical details about the vulnerability were published in Apple security advisories in September 2014 (for iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite) and subsequent updates. The IOHIDFamily component has been a well-studied attack surface within the iOS security research community, with multiple related vulnerabilities discovered and exploited over the years. Exploit techniques for IOHIDFamily buffer overflows are well-documented in security research literature.
EPSS Context: The EPSS score of 0.61995 at the 98.3rd percentile indicates very high exploitation activity. This elevated score reflects the strategic value of kernel-level Apple vulnerabilities for both security researchers developing jailbreaks and threat actors conducting targeted operations against high-value Apple device users.
KEV Remediation Deadline: CISA established a remediation deadline of August 10, 2022. Organizations still operating Apple devices running iOS versions prior to 8 or OS X versions prior to 10.10 must update immediately or decommission these devices.
Remediation
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Update Apple devices to patched operating system versions immediately. For iOS devices, update to iOS 8.0 or later. For Mac systems, update to OS X 10.10 (Yosemite) or later. For Apple TV, update to Apple TV software version 7.0 or later. These updates address the IOHIDFamily heap-based buffer overflow along with numerous other security vulnerabilities.
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Upgrade to currently supported Apple operating system versions. iOS 8, OS X 10.10, and Apple TV 7 are themselves long past their end-of-support lifecycle. Upgrade to the latest supported versions (iOS 17+, macOS 14+ Sonoma, tvOS 17+) to receive ongoing security updates and benefit from modern kernel security hardening including Pointer Authentication Codes (PAC) and kernel address space layout randomization (KASLR).
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Decommission devices that cannot be updated. Older Apple devices that cannot run iOS 8 or later (iPhone 4 and earlier, iPod Touch 4th generation and earlier) should be decommissioned and removed from service. These devices will remain permanently vulnerable to CVE-2014-4404 and numerous other unpatched kernel vulnerabilities.
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Implement mobile device management (MDM) for enterprise Apple devices. Deploy MDM solutions to enforce minimum operating system version requirements, ensure security updates are applied promptly, and restrict device functionality on non-compliant devices. Configure MDM policies to block enrollment of devices running iOS versions older than your organization's minimum security baseline.
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Enable automatic updates on all Apple devices. Configure automatic software updates through device settings (iOS: Settings > General > Software Update > Automatic Updates) and MDM policies to ensure security patches are applied as soon as they become available, reducing the window of exposure to kernel vulnerabilities.
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Monitor for indicators of kernel-level compromise. Deploy endpoint detection solutions capable of identifying signs of kernel exploitation on Apple devices, including unexpected kernel panics, modifications to system integrity protection (SIP) settings, unauthorized kernel extension loading, and anomalous kernel memory access patterns.
Technical Details
CVE-2014-4404 is a heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability in the IOHIDFamily kernel extension of Apple OS X, iOS, and Apple TV. IOHIDFamily is the kernel-level framework responsible for managing Human Interface Device (HID) communications, handling input from keyboards, mice, trackpads, touchscreens, and game controllers. As a kernel extension (kext), IOHIDFamily runs with kernel privileges (Ring 0 on x86, EL1 on ARM) and has direct access to all system memory and hardware resources.
The vulnerability occurs when the IOHIDFamily driver processes specially crafted HID data that causes a write operation to exceed the allocated heap buffer boundaries. This heap-based buffer overflow corrupts adjacent heap metadata and data structures in the kernel heap. By carefully controlling the overflow data, an attacker can overwrite kernel heap metadata to achieve arbitrary kernel memory writes, which can then be leveraged to escalate privileges, disable security mechanisms, or execute arbitrary code in the kernel context.
The CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H) indicates a local attack vector requiring no privileges but requiring user interaction (the user must trigger processing of the crafted HID data). The attack complexity is low once the malicious data reaches the IOHIDFamily driver. On iOS, this vulnerability is exploitable through applications that interact with the HID subsystem, while on macOS it can be triggered through crafted USB HID devices or malicious applications.
The root cause is insufficient bounds checking in the IOHIDFamily code path that processes HID report descriptors or HID data packets. The driver allocates a heap buffer based on an expected data size but fails to verify that the actual data written to the buffer does not exceed the allocation. Apple addressed this vulnerability in iOS 8.0, OS X 10.10, and Apple TV 7.0 by adding proper bounds validation to the affected IOHIDFamily code paths.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CVE-2014-4404?
CVE-2014-4404 is a heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability in the IOHIDFamily kernel extension of Apple OS X, iOS, and Apple TV. IOHIDFamily handles Human Interface Device (HID) input from keyboards, mice, touchscreens, and other input devices at the kernel level. The vulnerability allows an attacker to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges by exploiting the buffer overflow, potentially gaining complete control over the affected device. It carries a CVSS 3.1 score of 7.8 (HIGH).
Which Apple products are affected by CVE-2014-4404?
CVE-2014-4404 affects Apple iOS versions prior to 8.0, Apple OS X versions prior to 10.10 (Yosemite) and OS X 10.10.0 through 10.10.2, and Apple TV versions prior to 7.0. This includes iPhones, iPads, iPod Touch devices, Mac computers, and Apple TV units running these older operating system versions. The vulnerability was patched in iOS 8.0 (September 2014), OS X 10.10 (October 2014), OS X 10.10.3 (April 2015), and Apple TV 7.0 (September 2014).
How severe is CVE-2014-4404?
CVE-2014-4404 is rated HIGH with a CVSS 3.1 score of 7.8 and an EPSS score of 0.61995 at the 98.3rd percentile, indicating very high exploitation activity. It is listed in CISA's KEV catalog confirming active exploitation. Because the vulnerability exists in a kernel extension, successful exploitation grants the attacker the highest level of system privileges, bypassing all application sandboxing and security restrictions on the device.
How do I fix CVE-2014-4404?
Update all affected Apple devices to the patched operating system versions: iOS 8.0 or later, OS X 10.10 (Yosemite) or later, and Apple TV 7.0 or later. Since these versions are themselves now far past their support lifecycle, the recommended remediation is upgrading to the latest supported versions (iOS 17+, macOS 14+, tvOS 17+). Devices that cannot be updated to iOS 8 or later should be decommissioned, as they remain permanently vulnerable.
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