CVE-2010-0535 in Mac OS X
Summary
by MITRE
Dovecot in Apple Mac OS X 10.6 before 10.6.3, when Kerberos is enabled, does not properly enforce the service access control list (SACL) for sending and receiving e-mail, which allows remote authenticated users to bypass intended access restrictions via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/04/2026
The vulnerability described in CVE-2010-0535 represents a critical authorization flaw within Dovecot's implementation on Apple Mac OS X 10.6 systems. This issue specifically manifests when Kerberos authentication is enabled, creating a scenario where the service access control list mechanism fails to properly validate user permissions during email transmission and reception processes. The flaw stems from insufficient enforcement of access control policies that should normally prevent unauthorized users from accessing email services despite having valid authentication credentials.
The technical nature of this vulnerability falls under the category of improper access control as classified by CWE-284, where the system fails to properly enforce authorization mechanisms that should restrict user access based on predefined security policies. When Kerberos authentication is active, Dovecot should validate user permissions against the service access control list to ensure that only authorized individuals can send or receive email messages. However, the implementation contains a gap that allows authenticated users to bypass these intended restrictions through unspecified vectors, effectively undermining the security model that Kerberos is designed to enforce.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates a significant risk for organizations relying on Mac OS X systems with Dovecot and Kerberos integration. An authenticated attacker who has access to the email system can exploit this weakness to gain unauthorized access to email communications that should be restricted based on service access control lists. This could potentially lead to data leakage, unauthorized message interception, or privilege escalation within the email infrastructure. The impact is particularly concerning in enterprise environments where email systems serve as critical communication channels and contain sensitive organizational data.
The vulnerability demonstrates a failure in the principle of least privilege enforcement, where access controls should be strictly enforced regardless of user authentication status. According to ATT&CK framework category T1078, this weakness could enable adversaries to use legitimate credentials to perform unauthorized actions. The unspecified vectors mentioned in the description suggest that the flaw may be exploitable through multiple attack paths, making it more challenging to fully mitigate and potentially more dangerous in real-world scenarios. Organizations should consider implementing additional network segmentation and monitoring controls to detect unauthorized access attempts that might exploit this vulnerability.
The recommended mitigations include updating to Mac OS X 10.6.3 or later versions where Apple has addressed this issue through proper enforcement of service access control lists. Security administrators should also review and strengthen Kerberos configuration settings to ensure proper access control enforcement. Additionally, implementing network monitoring solutions that can detect anomalous email access patterns and establishing stricter email access logging can help identify potential exploitation attempts. Organizations should also consider disabling Kerberos authentication for Dovecot services if the functionality is not essential, as this would eliminate the attack surface associated with this specific vulnerability.