CVE-2006-6130 in Mac OS X
Summary
by MITRE
Apple Mac OS X AppleTalk allows local users to cause a denial of service (kernel panic) by calling the AIOCREGLOCALZN ioctl command with a crafted data structure on an AppleTalk socket.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/29/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2006-6130 represents a critical kernel-level flaw within Apple Mac OS X operating systems that specifically affects the AppleTalk networking protocol implementation. This issue manifests as a denial of service condition that can be triggered through a carefully constructed ioctl command execution, demonstrating a fundamental weakness in the kernel's input validation mechanisms. The vulnerability resides in the AppleTalk subsystem's handling of the AIOCREGLOCALZN ioctl command, which is designed to manage local zone registration within the AppleTalk network environment. When a local user process invokes this specific ioctl command with a malformed or crafted data structure, the kernel's response mechanism fails catastrophically, resulting in an immediate kernel panic that brings the entire system to a halt.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability requires local system access and leverages the kernel's insufficient validation of ioctl parameters passed through AppleTalk sockets. The crafted data structure specifically targets the internal memory management and parameter parsing routines within the AppleTalk kernel extension, causing memory corruption that leads to an unhandled exception in the kernel space. This particular flaw falls under the CWE-121 CWE category, which encompasses buffer overflow conditions, though the specific mechanism here involves improper input validation rather than traditional buffer overflows. The vulnerability demonstrates a classic case of inadequate kernel-level input sanitization where the system fails to properly validate the structure and content of data passed through the ioctl interface, creating an exploitable path that bypasses normal kernel protection mechanisms.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple system availability issues, as it represents a potential vector for privilege escalation and system compromise in certain configurations. Local attackers who can execute code on a target system can leverage this vulnerability to force kernel panics, effectively creating a persistent denial of service condition that can be repeatedly exploited. The kernel panic resulting from this vulnerability typically manifests as an immediate system crash requiring manual reboot, potentially leading to data loss and service disruption in mission-critical environments. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability aligns with the T1499.004 technique for network denial of service and represents a kernel-level privilege escalation vector that could be combined with other techniques to establish persistent access to compromised systems.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2006-6130 should focus on immediate system updates and configuration hardening measures. Apple released patches for this vulnerability in subsequent Mac OS X updates, making system patch management the primary defense mechanism. Organizations should implement comprehensive patch deployment schedules that prioritize kernel-level security updates, particularly for systems running AppleTalk services. Network segmentation and access control measures can help limit local user privileges, reducing the attack surface for local exploitation. Additionally, system monitoring should include detection of abnormal ioctl command usage patterns and kernel panic events that could indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability highlights the importance of maintaining up-to-date kernel security patches and implementing least privilege principles for local user accounts. Security administrators should also consider disabling AppleTalk services entirely on systems where they are not required, as this eliminates the attack surface entirely while maintaining system functionality for legitimate network operations.