CVE-2009-2190 in Mac OS X
Summary
by MITRE
launchd in Apple Mac OS X 10.5 before 10.5.8 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (individual service outage) by making many connections to an inetd-based launchd service.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/19/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2009-2190 represents a significant denial of service weakness in Apple Mac OS X 10.5 operating system versions prior to 10.5.8. This flaw specifically targets the launchd service management system which serves as the core daemon launcher and process manager for macOS systems. The vulnerability manifests through the inetd-based launchd service implementation where the system fails to properly handle excessive connection attempts, creating a pathway for remote attackers to disrupt normal service operations. The issue stems from inadequate resource management and connection handling mechanisms within the launchd framework that governs how network services are initiated and maintained on the system.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through a simple yet effective method of connection flooding against inetd-based services managed by launchd. When an attacker establishes numerous simultaneous connections to these services, the system's resource allocation mechanisms become overwhelmed, leading to individual service outages rather than complete system crashes. This particular flaw demonstrates a classic resource exhaustion attack pattern where the attacker leverages the service's limited capacity to handle concurrent connections. The vulnerability is categorized under CWE-400 as a resource exhaustion weakness, specifically manifesting as a denial of service condition that affects service availability rather than system stability.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates substantial risk for macOS systems running affected versions, particularly in enterprise environments where network services are critical for business operations. The denial of service effect manifests as individual service disruptions rather than complete system failures, making the attack more subtle but still highly disruptive to normal operations. Organizations may experience intermittent service unavailability, reduced productivity, and potential business continuity issues when such attacks occur. The vulnerability affects the fundamental service management infrastructure of the operating system, undermining the reliability of network-based applications and services that depend on launchd for their operation. The attack vector is particularly concerning as it requires minimal technical expertise to execute and can be performed remotely without authentication.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability primarily focus on applying the official security patches released by Apple as part of the Mac OS X 10.5.8 update. System administrators should prioritize immediate deployment of this patch to eliminate the vulnerability at its source. Network-level protections can include implementing connection rate limiting and monitoring for unusual connection patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. The use of intrusion detection systems can help identify potential attack signatures associated with this specific vulnerability. Organizations should also consider implementing service-level redundancy and failover mechanisms to minimize the impact of individual service disruptions. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability aligns with techniques categorized under privilege escalation and denial of service, specifically targeting the service execution and system service components. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper resource management in system services and highlights the need for robust connection handling mechanisms in daemon implementations. Network administrators should also review and harden their launchd configurations to limit unnecessary service exposure and implement proper access controls to reduce the attack surface available to potential adversaries.