CVE-2006-6062 in Mac OS X Server
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in Apple Mac OS X 10.4.8, and possibly other versions, allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) via a malformed UDTO HFS+ disk image, such as with "bad sectors," which triggers memory corruption.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/28/2026
This vulnerability resides within Apple Mac OS X 10.4.8 and potentially other versions where a flaw exists in the handling of UDTO HFS+ disk images. The issue manifests when malformed disk images containing what are termed "bad sectors" are processed by the operating system, leading to memory corruption that ultimately results in system crashes. This represents a classic buffer overflow or memory management issue that occurs during the parsing of disk image structures, specifically within the HFS+ file system implementation.
The technical mechanism behind this vulnerability involves the improper validation of disk image metadata during the mounting process of UDTO (Universal Disk Image) formatted HFS+ volumes. When the system encounters malformed sector data within these images, the memory allocation and data processing routines fail to properly handle the unexpected input, leading to memory corruption. This type of vulnerability falls under the broader category of software defects that can be exploited to cause system instability, as classified by CWE-125 - Out-of-bounds Read and CWE-787 - Out-of-bounds Write. The flaw demonstrates poor input sanitization and lacks proper bounds checking during disk image parsing operations.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents a significant risk for remote attackers who can potentially trigger system crashes by presenting specially crafted disk images to unsuspecting users. The denial of service impact extends beyond simple system instability, as it can be leveraged in broader attack scenarios where system availability is compromised. The attack surface includes any system that processes or mounts disk images, particularly those that might encounter untrusted media or network resources. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499.004 - Endpoint Denial of Service, where adversaries target system resources to prevent normal operations.
The exploitation of this vulnerability requires minimal privileges and can be executed remotely through various vectors including email attachments, web downloads, or network shares. The impact extends to both individual users and enterprise environments where automated systems might process untrusted disk images without proper validation. Organizations should implement strict disk image validation procedures and ensure timely patching of affected systems. The vulnerability highlights the importance of input validation and robust error handling in file system implementations, particularly when dealing with potentially malformed or corrupted data structures. Proper security practices include disabling automatic mounting of untrusted disk images and implementing network-based filtering to prevent malicious disk image delivery.
Mitigation strategies should focus on immediate patching of affected systems, implementing network-based controls to prevent access to potentially malicious disk images, and establishing security awareness training for users who might encounter untrusted media. System administrators should also consider implementing disk image verification procedures and monitoring for unusual system crash patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability underscores the critical need for comprehensive testing of file system parsers and the implementation of defensive programming practices that prevent memory corruption through proper bounds checking and input validation.