CVE-2002-1898 in Mac OS X
Summary
by MITRE
Terminal 1.3 in Apple Mac OS X 10.2 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands via shell metacharacters in a telnet:// link, which is executed by Terminal.app window.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/01/2025
This vulnerability exists in Apple Mac OS X 10.2's Terminal 1.3 application where the terminal emulator fails to properly sanitize user input when processing telnet:// URI schemes. The flaw allows remote attackers to inject shell metacharacters into telnet:// links that are subsequently executed within the Terminal.app window context. This represents a classic command injection vulnerability where user-supplied input is directly incorporated into shell commands without adequate sanitization or escaping mechanisms. The vulnerability specifically affects the handling of URI schemes within the terminal application, creating an execution path where maliciously crafted telnet:// links can trigger arbitrary command execution on the target system. The issue stems from insufficient input validation and sanitization practices within the terminal application's URI processing logic, which directly interprets and executes the provided URI components as shell commands. This vulnerability is classified under CWE-78 as "Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command" and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.004 for Command and Scripting Interpreter. The attack vector requires an attacker to convince a victim to click on a malicious telnet:// link, which then gets processed by Terminal.app and executed in the context of the user's privileges. The operational impact is significant as it allows remote code execution with the privileges of the logged-in user, potentially enabling full system compromise if the user has elevated permissions. The vulnerability demonstrates a critical flaw in the application's trust model where external URI inputs are treated as safe commands without proper validation or sandboxing. Attackers can leverage this to execute arbitrary system commands, potentially leading to data exfiltration, system persistence, or further network reconnaissance. The flaw is particularly dangerous in environments where users may encounter untrusted web content or email links, as the attack requires minimal user interaction beyond clicking a link. Mitigation strategies should focus on implementing proper input sanitization and escaping for all URI schemes processed by the terminal application, along with restricting the execution of commands based on URI inputs. Users should avoid clicking on untrusted links and administrators should consider disabling unnecessary URI scheme handling within terminal applications. The vulnerability highlights the importance of secure coding practices and proper input validation in applications that process external data, particularly those with elevated privileges or system-level access. This issue underscores the need for comprehensive security testing of all input processing pathways, including URI and URL handling components, to prevent similar command injection vulnerabilities in the future.