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CoreParsecLocation

tl;dr add an entitlement check to parsecd

Overview

CoreParsecLocation is a sample application demonstrating how a third-party app can access a user's precise location without a user's consent or permission. parsecd/CoreParsec also provides information such as localized search suggestions, knowledge cards, and a temporary user ID. Thankfully, I do not believe the user ID is persisted or recycled at this time.

Timeline

  • Discovered the information leak in November 2022 & reporting the finding to Apple.
  • Apple patched the issue with iOS 16.2 in December 2022.
  • Apple verified that the issue was fixed in January 2023, assigned the issue with CVE-2022-46718, and paid out a bug bounty of $35,000.
  • This part bugs me a bit The public disclosure was added to the iOS 16.2 Security Notes on May 1st, 2023.

How does it work?

During a routine Frameworks expedition, I noticed an active NSXPCConnection to parsecd. After a few days of tinkering, I discovered that parsecd would respond to search queries from any application as long as I spoofed the correct header information. In this case, I used the SPPARSession class, which sets up a session for Spotlight.

At first, I assumed that the PARResponse object would only return a GeoIP location (which isn't that useful on its own). However, after trying numerous search queries, I discovered that searching for "restaurants" would cause parsecd to grab the user's precise location. It then returned the location information to me via the PARReponse object.

parsec also returns additional information, such as localized news results & search suggestions. I do not believe these contain any user-identifiable information at this time. After submission, I plan to further explore the additional responses.

Important Tidbits

  • The user IS NOT notified that their location is currently in use. I'm unsure how often parsecd asks for a new location, but I did not see a location indicator in the status bar during my testing.
  • The location updates every 100ft or so.
  • Affects iOS 16/16.0.1.
  • Makes use of the third-party library Dynamic (found here: https://github.com/mhdhejazi/Dynamic). This library is not required to exploit parsecd, but it does make it easier to use third-party APIs without exposed headers.
  • Requires an internet connection, although I'm still testing to see if parsecd will return the location without one.
  • I believe this falls under the "User-Installed App: Unauthorized Access to Sensitive Data" category on https://developer.apple.com/security-bounty/payouts/.
  • This code is not my best work but I was very excited to submit this and wrote it at 3AM. If ya'll have any questions/comments please don't hesitate to reach out.