CVE-2010-0065 in Mac OS X
Summary
by MITRE
Disk Images in Apple Mac OS X before 10.6.3 allows user-assisted remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (memory corruption and application crash) via a crafted disk image with bzip2 compression.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/04/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2010-0065 represents a critical memory corruption issue affecting Apple Mac OS X versions prior to 10.6.3, specifically within the disk image handling subsystem. This flaw resides in the system's processing of disk images that utilize bzip2 compression algorithms, creating a potential attack vector that can be exploited by remote adversaries with minimal user interaction. The vulnerability manifests when the operating system attempts to decompress or mount a maliciously crafted disk image, leading to unpredictable behavior in the underlying memory management systems.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and memory handling within the disk image processing components of the Mac OS X operating system. When a bzip2 compressed disk image is encountered, the system's decompression routine fails to properly validate the compressed data structure, allowing malformed or maliciously constructed data to trigger buffer overflows or other memory corruption conditions. This weakness aligns with CWE-121, which describes heap-based buffer overflow conditions, and CWE-125, which covers out-of-bounds read vulnerabilities that can occur during data processing operations.
The operational impact of CVE-2010-0065 extends beyond simple denial of service scenarios to encompass full arbitrary code execution capabilities. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to inject malicious code into the system's memory space, potentially elevating privileges or establishing persistent access points. The user-assisted nature of the attack means that victims must open or mount the malicious disk image, typically through standard file browsing or double-click operations, making it particularly dangerous in environments where users frequently interact with external storage devices or download content from untrusted sources. The vulnerability can be exploited through various attack vectors including email attachments, web downloads, or removable media, making it highly relevant to enterprise security environments.
From a threat modeling perspective, this vulnerability maps to multiple ATT&CK techniques including T1059 for command and scripting interpreter usage and T1068 for exploit for privilege escalation. The attack surface is particularly concerning as it operates at the system level where the operating system itself handles disk image processing, potentially bypassing traditional application-level security controls. Security professionals should note that this vulnerability represents a classic example of a zero-day exploit that can be weaponized for advanced persistent threats or mass deployment attacks. The remediation process requires immediate deployment of Apple's security patches, but organizations must also implement additional controls such as disk image validation, application whitelisting, and user education programs to reduce the attack surface.
The broader implications of this vulnerability highlight the importance of comprehensive memory safety practices in operating system development. It demonstrates how seemingly benign features like compression support can introduce critical security weaknesses when not properly validated. System administrators should implement monitoring solutions that can detect unusual disk image processing activity or memory corruption patterns, while security teams should consider this vulnerability as part of their baseline threat modeling exercises for macOS environments. The vulnerability also underscores the necessity of maintaining up-to-date operating system versions and implementing automated patch management processes to prevent exploitation of known weaknesses in legacy systems.