CVE-2005-2508 in Mac OS X
Summary
by MITRE
dsidentity in directory services in mac os x 10.4.2 allows local users to add or remove user accounts.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/19/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2005-2508 resides within the dsidentity component of macOS X version 10.4.2's directory services architecture, representing a significant privilege escalation flaw that undermines system security controls. This issue specifically affects the directory services identity management functionality that governs user account creation and deletion operations within the operating system's authentication framework. The vulnerability stems from insufficient access controls and validation mechanisms within the dsidentity utility, which is responsible for managing directory service identities and user account modifications.
The technical flaw manifests as a lack of proper authentication checks and authorization validation when processing user account modification requests through the dsidentity interface. Local users who can execute commands with basic user privileges can exploit this weakness to perform unauthorized user account management operations including adding new user accounts or removing existing ones from the system. This represents a classic case of insufficient privilege checking where the system fails to properly verify that the requesting user has appropriate administrative rights before allowing account modification operations to proceed. The vulnerability operates at the system level within the directory services framework, bypassing normal user account management controls and potentially enabling attackers to establish persistent access or disrupt system authentication mechanisms.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates substantial security risks for macOS X 10.4.2 systems as it allows local adversaries to elevate their privileges through unauthorized account management. Attackers could leverage this flaw to create administrator accounts, thereby gaining full system control, or remove legitimate user accounts to disrupt system functionality or hide their presence. The local nature of the vulnerability means that any user with access to the system can exploit it without requiring network connectivity or remote access capabilities, making it particularly dangerous in multi-user environments where users might have varying levels of system access. This vulnerability directly impacts the principle of least privilege and can lead to unauthorized system compromise, data exfiltration, or system disruption depending on how the attacker chooses to utilize the elevated privileges gained.
Security professionals should implement immediate mitigations including applying the latest security patches from Apple that address this directory services vulnerability, reviewing system access controls to minimize local user privileges where possible, and monitoring for unauthorized account modifications. Organizations should also consider implementing additional security controls such as file integrity monitoring to detect unauthorized changes to system identity management components, and regular security audits to identify any unauthorized account additions or deletions. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284, which addresses improper access control in software systems, and represents a specific instance of privilege escalation through insufficient authentication mechanisms. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to privilege escalation techniques and can be leveraged for initial access or to maintain persistence within compromised systems. Given the age of this vulnerability, it is strongly recommended that affected systems be upgraded to supported macOS versions where this issue has been properly addressed through enhanced authentication and authorization controls in the directory services framework.