Detect Apple Multiple Products Use-After-Free Vulnerability (CVE-2023-43000) in Splunk
Detects exploitation of CVE-2023-43000, a use-after-free vulnerability (CWE-416) affecting multiple Apple products. This vulnerability is listed in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, indicating active exploitation in the wild. Use-after-free conditions in Apple system components can allow attackers to execute arbitrary code, escalate privileges, or achieve kernel-level compromise on affected macOS, iOS, and related platforms.
MITRE ATT&CK
- Tactic
- Privilege Escalation Execution
SPL Detection Query
index=endpoint sourcetype IN ("jamf:pro", "crowdstrike:events:stream", "syslog") host=*
(os_family="macOS" OR os_family="iOS" OR os_family="iPadOS")
| eval is_crash_event=if(match(event_type, "(?i)(crash|use.after.free|uaf|memory.corruption|segfault|SIGSEGV|SIGBUS)"), 1, 0)
| eval is_exploit_indicator=if(match(process_name, "(?i)(ReportCrash|sysdiagnose|osanalyticshelper|CrashReporter)"), 1, 0)
| where is_crash_event=1 OR is_exploit_indicator=1
| eval risk_score=case(
is_crash_event=1 AND is_exploit_indicator=1, 90,
is_crash_event=1, 60,
is_exploit_indicator=1, 50,
true(), 30
)
| join type=left host [
search index=network sourcetype IN ("paloalto:firewall", "cisco:asa", "zeek:conn") dest_port IN (4444, 1337, 8080, 8443)
| stats count as outbound_suspicious by src_ip, dest_ip, dest_port
| rename src_ip as host
]
| where risk_score >= 60
| stats count, max(risk_score) as max_risk, values(process_name) as processes, values(dest_ip) as suspicious_dests by host, user
| sort -max_riskCorrelates macOS/iOS endpoint crash telemetry and exploit indicators with suspicious outbound network connections to detect potential CVE-2023-43000 use-after-free exploitation on Apple devices.
Data Sources
Required Sourcetypes
False Positives & Tuning
- Legitimate application crashes on managed Apple endpoints during normal operations
- Crash Reporter activity during software updates or OS upgrades
- Development workstations running debugging tools that generate similar telemetry
- Security scanning tools or vulnerability assessments generating exploit-like signals
Other platforms for CVE-2023-43000
Testing Methodology
Validate this detection against 3 adversary techniques from Atomic Red Team. Each test below lists the behaviour to exercise and the telemetry you should expect to see. Executable commands and cleanup steps are available with Pro.
- Test 1Simulate macOS Use-After-Free Crash with C2-like Network Beacon
Expected signal: Process crash event for python3, EXC_BAD_ACCESS in crash logs, outbound TCP connection to LAB_C2_HOST:4444 from the same host within 10 seconds of crash
- Test 2Invoke CrashReporter from Non-Standard Parent Process
Expected signal: ProcessRollup2 event for ReportCrash with parent_process=bash; crash report file creation in DiagnosticReports directory
- Test 3Mass Crash Generation and External Reachback Simulation
Expected signal: 5 crash report files created in DiagnosticReports, 5 outbound HTTP connections to LAB_C2_HOST:4444 over ~5 seconds
Unlock Pro Content
Get the full detection package for CVE-2023-43000 including response playbook, investigation guide, and atomic red team tests.