CVE-2010-0515 in Mac OS X
Summary
by MITRE
QuickTime 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 a crafted movie file with H.264 encoding.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/04/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2010-0515 represents a critical memory corruption flaw within Apple's QuickTime media framework affecting Mac OS X versions prior to 10.6.3. This vulnerability resides in the H.264 video decoding component of QuickTime, which is widely used for multimedia playback across Apple's operating system. The flaw manifests when QuickTime processes specially crafted movie files that contain malformed H.264 encoded video streams, creating a dangerous condition that can be exploited remotely by attackers. The vulnerability specifically targets the memory management routines responsible for handling video frame decompression and rendering, where improper bounds checking and buffer overflow conditions exist in the decoding pipeline.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the manipulation of H.264 video stream parameters within movie files that QuickTime attempts to parse and render. When a user opens or previews such a maliciously crafted file, the QuickTime component executes code that triggers memory corruption through improper handling of video frame data structures. This memory corruption can lead to arbitrary code execution within the context of the QuickTime process, potentially allowing attackers to execute malicious payloads with the privileges of the affected application. The vulnerability also enables denial of service conditions where the memory corruption causes application crashes and system instability, effectively rendering the media playback functionality unusable.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risk to Mac OS X users who frequently encounter multimedia content from untrusted sources. The remote exploitation capability means that attackers can deliver malicious QuickTime content through various vectors including email attachments, web downloads, or compromised websites without requiring local system access. The impact extends beyond simple application crashes to potentially full system compromise when attackers leverage the arbitrary code execution capability. This vulnerability directly relates to CWE-125, which describes out-of-bounds read conditions, and CWE-787, which covers out-of-bounds write vulnerabilities, both of which are fundamental memory safety issues. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under T1059 for command and scripting interpreter and T1203 for Exploitation for Client Execution, highlighting the attack surface and execution methods available to adversaries.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2010-0515 require immediate system updates to Mac OS X 10.6.3 or later versions where Apple has implemented proper bounds checking and memory management improvements in the QuickTime framework. System administrators should also implement network-based controls such as content filtering and sandboxing of QuickTime processes to limit potential exploitation. Additional protective measures include disabling automatic media preview functionality, implementing strict file type validation for downloaded content, and maintaining updated security software that can detect and block malicious QuickTime content. Organizations should also consider implementing network segmentation to limit exposure and establish incident response procedures for potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of regular security patching and the risks associated with legacy software components that may contain unaddressed memory safety issues.