CVE-2006-1457 in Mac OS X
Summary
by MITRE
Safari on Apple Mac OS X 10.4.6, when "Open `safe files after downloading" is enabled, will automatically expand archives, which could allow remote attackers to overwrite arbitrary files via an archive that contains a symlink.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/22/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2006-1457 represents a critical file system manipulation flaw within Apple Safari browser's handling of downloaded archives on Mac OS X 10.4.6 systems. This issue stems from the browser's automatic archive expansion feature that operates when the "Open safe files after downloading" preference is enabled, creating a significant security risk that can be exploited by remote attackers to execute arbitrary file overwrites through maliciously crafted archive files containing symbolic links.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in the improper handling of symbolic links within archive files during the automatic extraction process. When Safari encounters an archive file, it processes the contents without adequately validating or sanitizing symbolic link entries that may point to arbitrary locations on the file system. This behavior creates a privilege escalation scenario where an attacker can craft an archive containing a symbolic link that points to a critical system file or user data, and when the archive is automatically expanded, the symbolic link gets resolved and the target file gets overwritten with malicious content. The vulnerability specifically affects the file system traversal and permission handling mechanisms within the archive extraction process.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple file overwrites to encompass potential system compromise and data integrity violations. Attackers can leverage this flaw to overwrite critical system files, user documents, or application configuration files, potentially leading to denial of service, privilege escalation, or persistent backdoor installation. The automatic nature of the exploit means that users do not need to manually interact with the malicious content, making it particularly dangerous in phishing scenarios or when users download files from untrusted sources. This vulnerability directly relates to CWE-59 and CWE-22, which address improper handling of symbolic links and path traversal attacks, respectively, and aligns with ATT&CK techniques targeting privilege escalation through file system manipulation.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate system updates and configuration changes to prevent automatic archive expansion. Users should disable the "Open safe files after downloading" preference in Safari's preferences, which eliminates the automatic extraction behavior that enables the exploit. System administrators should implement security policies that restrict automatic file execution and ensure that archive handling is performed with proper input validation and sandboxing. Additionally, network-level controls such as content filtering and web application firewalls can help prevent the delivery of malicious archives to vulnerable systems. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper input sanitization and the principle of least privilege in file system operations, particularly when dealing with automatically processed content from untrusted sources. Organizations should also consider implementing regular security assessments to identify similar vulnerabilities in other browser components and ensure comprehensive protection against archive-based attacks.