i cant stop thinking about this exploit
Low Level Learning・10 minutes read
A picture hack on iPhones by the NSO group used a zero-click exploit through a vulnerability in the lib webp library, enabling remote code execution. Despite extensive analysis tools, the bug remained undetected until suspicious behavior on an iPhone prompted its patching last year.
Insights
- The NSO group utilized a zero-click exploit on iPhones, leveraging a vulnerability in the lib webp library to execute remote code or crash browsers, highlighting the critical importance of addressing such vulnerabilities promptly.
- Despite the advanced tools available for open-source software analysis, the complexity of reproducing the exploit contributed to the bug remaining undetected until suspicious activity on an iPhone prompted its discovery and subsequent patching, underscoring the challenges in identifying and mitigating intricate cybersecurity threats.
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Recent questions
How can a picture hack a browser?
By exploiting a vulnerability in the lib webp library.
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Summary
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Browser hack via image leads to iPhone exploit.
- A picture could be used to hack a browser, allowing for remote code execution or browser crashes, exploited by the NSO group using a zero-click exploit on iPhones.
- The bug stemmed from a vulnerability in the lib webp library, which parses the webp file format for images and videos, enabling lossless compression through complex Huffman encoding algorithms.
- The bug allowed for a buffer overflow in the lib webp library, leading to a double free exploit, enabling remote code execution.
- Despite extensive open-source software analysis tools like Google's OSS fuzz, the bug remained undetected due to the complexity of reproducing the exploit.
- The bug was eventually discovered when suspicious behavior was detected on an iPhone, leading to its patching in September last year.
- Crafting an image to exploit the buffer overflow required intricate coding to create a Huffman encoding table that triggered the overflow condition, showcasing the complexity of the bug.
