CVE-2007-3745 in Core Audio Technologies
Summary
by MITRE
The Java interface to CoreAudio on Apple Mac OS X 10.3.9 and 10.4.10 contains an unsafe interface that is exposed by JDirect, which allows remote attackers to free arbitrary memory and thereby execute arbitrary code.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/23/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2007-3745 represents a critical heap corruption flaw within the Java runtime environment on Apple Mac OS X systems. This issue specifically affects Java applications that utilize the JDirect interface to interact with CoreAudio services, creating an exploitable condition that can be leveraged by remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected systems. The vulnerability stems from improper memory management within the Java interface layer that bridges the Java Virtual Machine with native CoreAudio components, fundamentally compromising system security through memory corruption techniques.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs through the unsafe JDirect interface mechanism that allows Java applications to make direct calls to native Mac OS X system libraries. When Java code invokes CoreAudio functions through JDirect, the interface fails to properly validate or sanitize memory pointers and references, creating opportunities for attackers to manipulate memory layout and trigger use-after-free conditions. This unsafe memory handling pattern is classified under CWE-416 as use of freed memory, where the JDirect interface permits freeing of memory that may subsequently be accessed by malicious code, leading to arbitrary code execution capabilities.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation to encompass complete system compromise when exploited by remote attackers. Attackers can leverage the memory corruption vulnerability to manipulate heap structures and inject malicious code into the Java runtime environment, potentially leading to unauthorized system access, data exfiltration, and persistent backdoor installation. The vulnerability affects specific versions of Mac OS X including 10.3.9 and 10.4.10, making it particularly concerning for enterprise environments that may still be running legacy operating system versions, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter while potentially enabling T1068 for local privilege escalation.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2007-3745 require immediate system updates and patch management to address the underlying CoreAudio interface implementation. Organizations should implement network segmentation to limit Java application exposure to trusted environments, disable unnecessary JDirect functionality, and deploy intrusion detection systems to monitor for suspicious memory manipulation patterns. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of secure interface design principles and proper memory management in cross-language integration scenarios, particularly when bridging high-level interpreted languages with low-level system libraries. System administrators should also consider implementing application whitelisting policies that restrict Java application execution and monitor for unusual memory allocation patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts.