CVE-2003-1007 in Mac OS X
Summary
by MITRE
AppleFileServer (AFS) in Apple Mac OS X 10.2.8 and 10.3.2 does not properly handle certain malformed requests, with unknown impact.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/20/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2003-1007 affects AppleFileServer (AFS) component within Apple Mac OS X versions 10.2.8 and 10.3.2, representing a critical security flaw in the operating system's file sharing infrastructure. This vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation mechanisms within the AFS service that processes network requests from clients attempting to access shared files and resources. The flaw specifically manifests when the server encounters malformed requests that deviate from expected protocol standards, creating potential attack vectors that could be exploited by malicious actors to compromise system integrity.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-121, which addresses buffer overflow conditions, and CWE-122, which covers buffer overflow vulnerabilities in heap-based data structures. The AFS implementation fails to properly validate the structure and content of incoming network requests, allowing attackers to craft specially formatted packets that can trigger unexpected behavior in the server's processing logic. This improper handling of malformed input creates opportunities for arbitrary code execution or denial of service conditions that could disrupt legitimate file sharing operations. The vulnerability exists at the protocol level where the server's request parsing mechanisms lack sufficient bounds checking and validation routines.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to organizations relying on Mac OS X systems for file sharing services, particularly in enterprise environments where AFS serves as a primary mechanism for networked file access. The unknown impact designation indicates that the full scope of potential exploitation scenarios remains unclear, but the vulnerability could enable attackers to gain unauthorized access to shared resources, potentially leading to data theft, system compromise, or service disruption. Network administrators face challenges in detecting exploitation attempts since the malformed requests might appear as legitimate traffic, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous for monitoring and detection purposes.
The attack surface for CVE-2003-1007 encompasses any Mac OS X system running affected versions of AFS, particularly those configured to provide file sharing services to network clients. The vulnerability operates at the application layer within the AppleFileServer service, making it accessible to attackers who can establish network connections to the affected system's file sharing ports. This aligns with ATT&CK technique T1190, which covers exploitation of remote services through malformed requests or inputs that bypass normal validation mechanisms. Organizations with legacy Mac OS X deployments should consider this vulnerability as a high-priority concern, especially those with systems that continue to operate without proper security updates.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability primarily focus on immediate patching and system updates to address the underlying implementation flaws in AppleFileServer. Apple released security updates for affected versions that corrected the input validation mechanisms within the AFS service, requiring administrators to apply these patches promptly to prevent exploitation. Network segmentation and access controls should be implemented to limit exposure of affected systems to untrusted networks, while monitoring systems should be configured to detect unusual patterns in file sharing requests that might indicate exploitation attempts. The implementation of firewall rules that restrict access to AFS ports from unauthorized sources provides additional protective measures against potential exploitation. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify any remaining instances of affected systems within the organization's infrastructure.