CVE-2007-5853 in Mac OS X
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in IO Storage Family in Apple Mac OS X 10.4.11 allows user-assisted attackers to cause a denial of service (system shutdown) or execute arbitrary code via a disk image with crafted GUID partition maps, which triggers memory corruption.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/02/2019
The vulnerability described in CVE-2007-5853 represents a critical memory corruption issue within the IO Storage Family component of Apple Mac OS X 10.4.11 operating system. This flaw exists in the handling of disk image files with specially crafted GUID Partition Map structures, which are used to organize and partition storage devices. The vulnerability is classified as user-assisted, meaning that an attacker must convince a user to interact with a maliciously crafted disk image file for the exploit to be successful. The IO Storage Family is responsible for managing storage device interactions and partition table processing, making it a fundamental component of the operating system's storage subsystem.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from improper validation and handling of GUID Partition Map structures within disk images. When a user opens or mounts a disk image containing crafted GUID partition maps, the system's storage management code fails to properly validate the partition table data, leading to memory corruption conditions. This memory corruption can manifest in two primary ways: either causing the system to crash and shut down unexpectedly, or allowing an attacker to execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges. The vulnerability specifically affects the parsing logic that processes GUID Partition Tables, which are standard structures used in modern storage systems but are handled incorrectly in the vulnerable Mac OS X version. This type of memory corruption vulnerability aligns with CWE-125, which describes out-of-bounds read conditions, and CWE-787, which covers out-of-bounds write conditions that can lead to arbitrary code execution.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service scenarios to include potential privilege escalation and system compromise. When an attacker successfully exploits this vulnerability, they can cause system instability through forced shutdowns or gain unauthorized code execution capabilities that may allow them to escalate privileges within the operating system. The user-assisted nature of the attack means that social engineering tactics would be required to convince users to open malicious disk images, but once executed, the consequences can be severe. The vulnerability affects a core system component that handles all disk image operations, making it a high-value target for attackers seeking persistent access to Mac systems. Systems running Mac OS X 10.4.11 are particularly at risk as this version predates many security hardening measures that would have been implemented in later releases.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability primarily focus on immediate system updates and operational security measures. Apple addressed this issue through security updates that corrected the GUID Partition Map parsing logic within the IO Storage Family component. Organizations should ensure that all Mac systems are updated to the latest available security patches, particularly those addressing storage subsystem vulnerabilities. Network administrators should implement monitoring for suspicious disk image file operations and consider restricting user access to potentially malicious file types. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of input validation and proper memory management in system components that handle external data structures. Security professionals should also consider implementing sandboxing measures for disk image operations and monitoring for unusual system shutdown patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. This vulnerability highlights the necessity of following secure coding practices such as those outlined in the OWASP Secure Coding Practices and emphasizes the importance of the principle of least privilege in preventing privilege escalation attacks. The ATT&CK framework would categorize this vulnerability under the T1059.007 technique for command and scripting interpreter, as successful exploitation could enable attackers to execute arbitrary code with system-level privileges.