CVE-2010-0062 in Mac OS X
Summary
by MITRE
Heap-based buffer overflow in quicktime.qts in CoreMedia and QuickTime in Apple Mac OS X before 10.6.3 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (application crash) via a malformed .3g2 movie file with H.263 encoding that triggers an incorrect buffer length calculation.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/03/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2010-0062 represents a critical heap-based buffer overflow affecting Apple Mac OS X versions prior to 10.6.3 within the CoreMedia and QuickTime frameworks. This flaw specifically impacts the quicktime.qts component which processes multimedia files, creating a dangerous condition where maliciously crafted media content can trigger arbitrary code execution or system crashes. The vulnerability manifests when processing malformed .3g2 movie files that utilize H.263 video encoding, demonstrating how multimedia processing libraries can become attack vectors for sophisticated exploitation attempts.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in an incorrect buffer length calculation within the QuickTime media processing pipeline. When the system attempts to parse and decode H.263 encoded video streams within .3g2 containers, the application fails to properly validate the buffer size calculations, leading to a heap overflow condition. This memory corruption occurs in the heap allocation management system where insufficient bounds checking allows an attacker to write beyond allocated memory boundaries. The flaw operates at the intersection of multimedia parsing and memory management, creating a situation where crafted input data can manipulate heap structures and potentially overwrite critical program memory regions.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risk to macOS users as it enables remote code execution capabilities through simple media file delivery. Attackers can craft malicious .3g2 files that, when opened by vulnerable systems, will trigger the buffer overflow and allow for arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the affected application. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond individual system compromise to potential network-wide exploitation, particularly in environments where users frequently interact with multimedia content from untrusted sources. The denial of service aspect of this vulnerability also creates opportunities for persistent disruption attacks that can render systems unusable through repeated exploitation attempts.
The security implications of CVE-2010-0062 align with CWE-121, which addresses heap-based buffer overflow conditions, and demonstrates how multimedia frameworks can become attack surfaces for privilege escalation and system compromise. This vulnerability maps to several ATT&CK techniques including T1203 (Exploitation for Client Execution) and T1059 (Command and Scripting Interpreter) as attackers can leverage the overflow to execute malicious payloads and establish persistent access. The exploitation requires minimal user interaction beyond opening the malicious file, making it particularly dangerous in social engineering campaigns where users might encounter such files through email attachments, web downloads, or peer-to-peer networks.
Organizations and users should immediately implement mitigation strategies including updating to Apple Mac OS X 10.6.3 or later versions where the vulnerability has been patched. Additional protective measures include implementing strict file type filtering for multimedia content, deploying sandboxing solutions for media processing applications, and establishing network-based intrusion detection systems to monitor for exploitation attempts. The patch addresses the underlying buffer length calculation error through improved input validation and bounds checking mechanisms, ensuring that memory allocations properly account for all possible input variations. Security teams should also consider implementing automated vulnerability scanning tools to identify systems running vulnerable versions and establish incident response procedures for potential exploitation attempts.