CVE-2010-1378 in Mac OS X
Summary
by MITRE
OpenSSL in Apple Mac OS X 10.6.x before 10.6.5 does not properly perform arithmetic, which allows remote attackers to bypass X.509 certificate authentication via an arbitrary certificate issued by a legitimate Certification Authority.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/26/2025
The vulnerability described in CVE-2010-1378 represents a critical flaw in the OpenSSL implementation within Apple Mac OS X 10.6.x systems prior to version 10.6.5. This issue stems from improper arithmetic operations within the cryptographic library that governs X.509 certificate validation processes. The flaw allows remote attackers to craft malicious certificates that can bypass the standard authentication mechanisms, effectively undermining the entire public key infrastructure that relies on certificate-based trust. The vulnerability specifically affects the certificate verification logic where OpenSSL fails to properly handle certain mathematical operations during certificate chain validation, creating a path for attackers to exploit the system's trust model.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability can be categorized under CWE-191, which deals with Integer Underflow or Wraparound, and more specifically relates to improper arithmetic operations within cryptographic validation routines. The flaw manifests when the system processes certificate extensions or attributes that involve integer calculations during the certificate chain validation process. Attackers can leverage this weakness by creating certificates with carefully crafted values that, when processed through the vulnerable OpenSSL implementation, result in arithmetic overflow or underflow conditions. These conditions cause the certificate validation logic to incorrectly accept malicious certificates as valid, even when they should be rejected based on standard security policies.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple certificate validation failures, as it fundamentally compromises the trust model that secures network communications on affected Mac systems. Remote attackers can exploit this vulnerability to perform man-in-the-middle attacks against SSL/TLS connections, potentially intercepting sensitive data, conducting session hijacking, or impersonating legitimate services. The vulnerability affects all applications and services that rely on OpenSSL for certificate validation, including web browsers, email clients, and secure communication protocols. This includes critical infrastructure components such as secure web servers, email servers, and any system that validates SSL certificates for authentication purposes, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where certificate-based authentication is extensively used.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate system updates to Apple Mac OS X 10.6.5 or later versions that contain the patched OpenSSL implementation. Organizations should prioritize patching all affected systems and verify that the updates have been properly applied through system inventory management tools. Additionally, security administrators should implement network monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts and consider temporarily disabling certificate validation for critical systems until proper patches are deployed. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1552.001, which involves the use of credentials from password storage components, as compromised certificates can effectively provide attackers with unauthorized access to secured resources. Organizations should also review their certificate management policies and consider implementing additional security controls such as certificate pinning, enhanced monitoring of certificate issuance, and regular security assessments of their PKI infrastructure to prevent similar vulnerabilities from being exploited in the future.