CVE-2009-0149 in Mac OS X
Summary
by MITRE
Apple Mac OS X 10.4.11 and 10.5 before 10.5.7 allows local users to gain privileges or cause a denial of service (application crash) by attempting to mount a crafted sparse disk image that triggers memory corruption.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/04/2019
The vulnerability described in CVE-2009-0149 represents a critical memory corruption flaw within Apple Mac OS X operating systems, specifically affecting versions 10.4.11 and 10.5 prior to 10.5.7. This issue resides in the disk image mounting functionality, which serves as a fundamental component for handling various storage media and file containers on macOS platforms. The vulnerability operates through a sophisticated attack vector that exploits the way the system processes sparse disk images, which are dynamically allocated storage containers commonly used for virtual machines and disk cloning operations. The flaw manifests when a local attacker crafts a specially designed sparse disk image that, when attempted to be mounted by the operating system, triggers unpredictable memory behavior leading to system instability or privilege escalation.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs at the kernel level within the disk image handling subsystem, where insufficient input validation and memory management controls fail to properly sanitize the crafted sparse disk image data. When the system attempts to process the malformed image structure, it encounters memory corruption conditions that can result in arbitrary code execution with elevated privileges or complete application crashes. This memory corruption typically stems from buffer overflows or improper memory allocation handling within the sparse disk image parser, which does not adequately validate the structure and content of the image metadata. The vulnerability's classification aligns with CWE-121, which describes stack-based buffer overflow conditions, and CWE-125, which covers out-of-bounds read vulnerabilities that can lead to memory corruption scenarios.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant security implications for macOS environments, as it allows local attackers with minimal privileges to either escalate their access rights to system-level privileges or disrupt system availability through denial of service attacks. The local nature of the attack means that any user with access to the system can potentially exploit this flaw, making it particularly dangerous in multi-user environments or shared computing scenarios. The impact extends beyond simple privilege escalation to include potential system instability that could be leveraged for more sophisticated attacks or to create persistent access points within compromised systems. Security professionals should note that this vulnerability affects core operating system functionality and represents a fundamental weakness in the system's memory management and input validation controls.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2009-0149 should prioritize immediate patch application to the affected macOS versions, specifically upgrading to Mac OS X 10.5.7 or later where Apple has addressed the memory corruption issues in the disk image handling components. System administrators should implement additional security controls including restricting user access to disk mounting utilities and monitoring for unusual mounting activities that could indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability's characteristics align with ATT&CK technique T1068, which covers local privilege escalation through system weaknesses, and T1499, which addresses disruption of services through application crashes. Organizations should also consider implementing endpoint detection and response solutions that can identify anomalous disk image mounting patterns or memory corruption indicators. Regular security assessments should include verification of system patches and monitoring of system logs for evidence of attempted exploitation, particularly focusing on kernel-level activities related to disk image processing and memory allocation errors.