CVE-2010-0060 in Mac OS X
Summary
by MITRE
CoreAudio in Apple Mac OS X before 10.6.3 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (memory corruption and application crash) via crafted audio content with QDMC encoding.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/03/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2010-0060 resides within Apple Mac OS X CoreAudio framework, specifically affecting versions prior to 10.6.3. This flaw represents a critical security issue that demonstrates the inherent risks associated with multimedia processing components in operating systems. The vulnerability manifests when the system encounters specially crafted audio content encoded with QDMC format, which stands for QDesign Music Compression. This encoding method, while legitimate for audio processing, becomes exploitable when malformed data structures are introduced into the processing pipeline.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through memory corruption within the CoreAudio subsystem. When the system attempts to process the malicious QDMC encoded audio content, improper input validation and insufficient bounds checking lead to buffer overflows or other memory corruption conditions. These memory issues can be leveraged by remote attackers to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the affected application or system processes. The vulnerability's remote nature means that attackers can potentially exploit it without physical access to the target system, making it particularly dangerous in networked environments where multimedia content is frequently processed.
The operational impact of CVE-2010-0060 extends beyond simple denial of service conditions to encompass full system compromise potential. Applications that utilize CoreAudio for audio processing, including media players, web browsers, and multimedia applications, become vulnerable to exploitation. When exploited successfully, this vulnerability can result in complete system compromise, allowing attackers to execute malicious code, escalate privileges, or maintain persistent access to affected systems. The memory corruption issues can also cause application crashes and system instability, leading to denial of service conditions that may be exploited for more sophisticated attacks.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-121, which describes heap-based buffer overflow conditions, and demonstrates the classic patterns of memory corruption vulnerabilities found in multimedia processing libraries. The attack surface is particularly broad as CoreAudio is deeply integrated into the Mac OS X operating system and is utilized by numerous applications. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to multiple techniques including T1059 for command and script injection, T1068 for exploit for privilege escalation, and T1489 for denial of service. The vulnerability also represents a significant concern for enterprise environments where users may encounter malicious audio content through email attachments, web downloads, or other network-based delivery mechanisms.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2010-0060 primarily focus on immediate system updates and patch management. Apple released security updates for Mac OS X 10.6.3 that addressed this vulnerability through improved input validation and memory management within the CoreAudio framework. Organizations should prioritize deployment of these patches across all affected systems to prevent exploitation. Additional protective measures include implementing network-based filtering to block suspicious audio content, disabling unnecessary multimedia processing capabilities, and conducting regular security assessments of multimedia applications. System monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual memory usage patterns or application crashes that may indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of the critical importance of keeping multimedia processing components up to date, as these libraries often handle complex data formats that can introduce significant security risks when not properly validated.