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Hacktricks-skills sips-icc-oob-write-exploit

How to understand, test, and detect the macOS sips ICC profile out-of-bounds write vulnerability (CVE-2024-44236). Use this skill whenever the user mentions ICC profiles, sips vulnerability, CVE-2024-44236, macOS image processing exploits, heap corruption in color profiles, or needs to generate malicious ICC test files for security research. Also trigger for YARA rule creation for ICC anomalies, macOS security patching verification, or when analyzing embedded color profile attacks.

install
source · Clone the upstream repo
git clone https://github.com/abelrguezr/hacktricks-skills
manifest: skills/binary-exploitation/arbitrary-write-2-exec/aw2exec-sips-icc-profile/SKILL.MD
source content

SIPS ICC Profile OOB Write Exploit (CVE-2024-44236)

A skill for understanding, testing, and detecting the out-of-bounds zero-write vulnerability in Apple's Scriptable Image Processing System (sips) ICC profile parser.

What This Skill Does

This skill helps you:

  • Generate malicious ICC profile test files for security research
  • Understand the heap corruption mechanism and exploitation chain
  • Create YARA detection rules for the vulnerability
  • Verify patching status and implement mitigations
  • Analyze embedded ICC profile attacks in images

Quick Start

Generate a Test ICC Profile

Run the bundled PoC generator to create a malicious ICC file:

python scripts/generate_evil_icc.py output/evil.icc

This creates a minimal ICC profile with the 

offsetToCLUT == tagDataSize
condition that triggers the OOB write.

Verify the Vulnerability (Research Only)

On a vulnerable macOS system (15.0.1, sips-307):

sips --verifyColor output/evil.icc
# or
sips -s format png payload.jpg --out out.png

⚠️ Warning: Only test on isolated, vulnerable systems you own. This can cause crashes or code execution.

Vulnerability Overview

The Bug

The vulnerability is in the 

lutAToBType
(
mAB
) and 
lutBToAType
(
mBA
) tag handlers in sips-307:

if (offsetToCLUT <= tagDataSize) {
    // BAD: zero 16 bytes starting at offsetToCLUT
    for (uint32_t i = offsetToCLUT; i < offsetToCLUT + 16; i++)
        buffer[i] = 0;  // no bounds check!
}

When 

offsetToCLUT == tagDataSize
, the parser writes 16 bytes past the allocated buffer.

Exploitation Chain

  1. Craft malicious ICC with 
    offsetToCLUT == tagDataSize
  2. Trigger parsing via any sips operation (Preview, QuickLook, Mail, Safari)
  3. Heap metadata corruption on nano_zone allocator
  4. Arbitrary write via poisoned free list
  5. Vtable overwrite → ROP chain execution

Impact

  • CVSS 7.8 - Remote code execution
  • Bypasses Gatekeeper (embedded in benign images)
  • Affects: Preview, QuickLook, Safari, Mail attachments
  • Patched: macOS 15.2 / 14.7.1 (Oct 30, 2024)

Detection

YARA Rule

Use the bundled YARA rule to detect malicious ICC profiles:

yara -r scripts/icc_mab_anomaly.yara /path/to/files/

The rule checks for:

  • Valid ICC header (
    acsp
    magic)
  • mAB
    or 
    mBA
    tags
  • offsetToCLUT == tagDataSize
    condition

Manual Verification

Check if a system is patched:

# Check macOS version
sw_vers

# Check sips version (vulnerable: 307 on 15.0.1)
# Patched in 15.2 / 14.7.1+

DFIR Indicators

Look for in unified log:

  • Recent 
    sips --verifyColor
    execution
  • ColorSync
    library loads by sandboxed apps
  • Unexpected Preview/QuickLook spawns

Mitigation

Immediate Actions

  1. Patch: Update to macOS ≥ 15.2 / 14.7.1 or iOS/iPadOS ≥ 18.1
  2. Strip ICC profiles from untrusted images: 
    exiftool -icc_profile= -overwrite_original <file>
  3. Deploy YARA rule on email gateways and EDR
  4. Sandbox Preview/QuickLook for unknown content

Long-term Hardening

  • Run image processing in isolated VMs
  • Monitor for sips/ColorSync anomalies
  • Implement file type validation before processing

Test Cases

Case 1: Basic OOB Trigger

python scripts/generate_evil_icc.py test1.icc
sips --verifyColor test1.icc  # Should crash on vulnerable systems

Case 2: Embedded in Image

# Create a test image with embedded malicious ICC
python scripts/embed_icc_in_image.py input.jpg test1.icc output.jpg
sips -s format png output.jpg --out out.png

Case 3: YARA Detection

yara scripts/icc_mab_anomaly.yara test1.icc
# Should match: ICC_mAB_offsetToCLUT_anomaly

References

Related Skills

  • icc-profile-analysis
    - Deep ICC profile parsing and analysis
  • macos-heap-exploitation
    - nano_zone allocator exploitation techniques
  • yara-rule-creation
    - Writing detection rules for file-based attacks

Notes

  • This skill is for security research and defensive purposes only
  • Always test on systems you own or have explicit authorization for
  • The PoC generator creates files that can crash vulnerable systems
  • Keep your test environment isolated from production networks