CVE Vulnerabilities

CVE-2019-8591

Access of Resource Using Incompatible Type ('Type Confusion')

Published: Dec 18, 2019 | Modified: Dec 20, 2019
CVSS 3.x
7.1
HIGH
Source:
NVD
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H
CVSS 2.x
8.8 HIGH
AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:N/I:C/A:C
RedHat/V2
RedHat/V3
Ubuntu

A type confusion issue was addressed with improved memory handling. This issue is fixed in iOS 12.3, macOS Mojave 10.14.5, tvOS 12.3, watchOS 5.2.1. An application may be able to cause unexpected system termination or write kernel memory.

Weakness

The product allocates or initializes a resource such as a pointer, object, or variable using one type, but it later accesses that resource using a type that is incompatible with the original type.

Affected Software

Name Vendor Start Version End Version
Iphone_os Apple * 12.3 (excluding)
Mac_os_x Apple * 10.14.5 (excluding)
Tvos Apple * 12.3 (excluding)
Watchos Apple * 5.2.1 (excluding)

Extended Description

When the product accesses the resource using an incompatible type, this could trigger logical errors because the resource does not have expected properties. In languages without memory safety, such as C and C++, type confusion can lead to out-of-bounds memory access. While this weakness is frequently associated with unions when parsing data with many different embedded object types in C, it can be present in any application that can interpret the same variable or memory location in multiple ways. This weakness is not unique to C and C++. For example, errors in PHP applications can be triggered by providing array parameters when scalars are expected, or vice versa. Languages such as Perl, which perform automatic conversion of a variable of one type when it is accessed as if it were another type, can also contain these issues.

References