CVE-2007-4694 in Mac OS X
Summary
by MITRE
Safari in Apple Mac OS X 10.4 through 10.4.10 allows remote attackers to access local content via file:// URLs.
Be aware that VulDB is the high quality source for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/07/2025
This vulnerability exists in Apple Mac OS X versions 10.4 through 10.4.10 where the Safari web browser fails to properly enforce security boundaries when handling file:// URLs. The flaw allows remote attackers to bypass normal web security restrictions and access local system files that should be protected from web-based access. This represents a classic cross-site scripting or privilege escalation issue where web content can potentially access local resources through improper URL handling mechanisms.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from Safari's insufficient validation of file:// URL schemes when processing web content. When a web page attempts to load resources using file:// URLs, the browser should enforce strict security policies to prevent access to local filesystem content. However, in affected versions, Safari fails to properly sanitize or validate these URLs, allowing malicious web content to construct file:// URLs that can traverse local filesystem paths and access sensitive local files. This weakness aligns with CWE-22, which describes improper limitation of a pathname to a restricted directory, and CWE-264, which covers permissions, privileges, and access controls.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant as it provides remote attackers with unauthorized access to local system content including user files, configuration data, and potentially sensitive information stored on the local filesystem. An attacker could craft malicious web pages that, when visited by a victim using an affected Safari version, could retrieve local files such as browser cache data, user preferences, or even system configuration files. This creates a serious privacy and security risk where local system integrity can be compromised through web-based attacks without requiring additional privileges or local access. The vulnerability can be exploited through various attack vectors including phishing emails, compromised websites, or malicious web applications that leverage this URL handling flaw.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should include immediate system updates to the latest available versions of Mac OS X where Apple has patched the file:// URL handling implementation. Organizations should also implement network-level controls to restrict access to potentially malicious websites and consider browser security policies that limit local file access. From a defensive perspective, this vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper input validation and the principle of least privilege in web browser security implementations. Security professionals should monitor for similar path traversal vulnerabilities in other browser implementations and ensure that web content processing frameworks properly validate all URL schemes to prevent unauthorized access to local system resources. The ATT&CK framework would categorize this as a privilege escalation technique through web-based attack vectors, specifically involving the exploitation of browser security boundaries to access local system resources.