CVE-2007-0737 in Mac OS X
Summary
by MITRE
The Login Window in Apple Mac OS X 10.3.9 through 10.4.9 does not properly check certain environment variables, which allows local users to gain privileges via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/18/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2007-0737 resides within the Login Window component of Apple Mac OS X versions 10.3.9 through 10.4.9, representing a critical security flaw that undermines the system's privilege escalation mechanisms. This issue stems from insufficient validation of environment variables during the login process, creating a pathway for local attackers to exploit the system's authentication framework. The Login Window serves as the primary interface for user authentication and system access control, making it a prime target for malicious actors seeking to elevate their privileges within the operating system.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves improper environment variable handling that allows attackers to manipulate system variables that should remain protected or properly validated. When users attempt to log into the system, the Login Window processes various environment variables to determine authentication parameters and access rights. However, the flawed implementation fails to adequately sanitize or validate these variables, enabling attackers to inject malicious values that can bypass normal access controls. This weakness specifically relates to how the system interprets and utilizes environment variables during the authentication sequence, creating an attack surface where crafted inputs can alter the expected behavior of the login process.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability enables local users to escalate their privileges from standard user level to administrative access without proper authentication. The attack vector requires local system access but does not necessitate network connectivity or external exploitation, making it particularly dangerous in environments where physical access to systems is possible. Attackers can leverage this flaw to gain unauthorized administrative privileges, potentially leading to complete system compromise, data exfiltration, or persistent backdoor establishment. The vulnerability affects a significant range of Mac OS X versions, indicating it was present during a period when the operating system was widely deployed in enterprise and consumer environments.
The underlying cause of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-250, which addresses "Execution of Code with Unusual or Unconventional Control Flow," as the improper environment variable handling creates unexpected execution paths that bypass normal security controls. This weakness also relates to CWE-78, "Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command," suggesting that environment variable manipulation could potentially lead to command injection scenarios. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to T1068, "Exploitation for Privilege Escalation," and T1059, "Command and Scripting Interpreter," as attackers can leverage the compromised login process to execute arbitrary commands with elevated privileges. The attack requires minimal sophistication and can be automated, making it particularly dangerous in environments where multiple users have local access to systems.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2007-0737 should prioritize immediate system updates to the latest available Mac OS X versions that contain patches addressing this specific vulnerability. Apple released security updates that corrected the environment variable handling in the Login Window component, and organizations should implement these patches as a priority. System administrators should also consider implementing additional security measures such as restricting local user access where possible, monitoring for suspicious login activities, and ensuring that only authorized personnel have physical access to systems. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper input validation and environment variable sanitization in security-critical components, emphasizing that authentication mechanisms must be robust against manipulation of underlying system parameters. Organizations should also conduct regular vulnerability assessments to identify similar weaknesses in other system components and ensure comprehensive security coverage across all operating system elements.