CVE-2011-3228 in Mac OS X
Summary
by MITRE
QuickTime in Apple Mac OS X before 10.7.2 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (memory corruption and application crash) via a crafted movie file.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/24/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2011-3228 represents a critical memory corruption flaw within Apple's QuickTime media framework affecting Mac OS X versions prior to 10.7.2. This issue resides in the core media processing components that handle movie file parsing and playback operations, creating a significant attack surface for remote threat actors seeking to compromise system integrity. The vulnerability specifically manifests when QuickTime processes malformed or crafted movie files that contain maliciously constructed data structures designed to exploit memory handling weaknesses within the media decoding pipeline.
Technical analysis reveals that the flaw stems from insufficient input validation and memory management within QuickTime's movie file parser, which fails to properly sanitize user-supplied data during the parsing of multimedia containers. When a maliciously crafted movie file is processed, the parser encounters malformed data that triggers buffer overflows or memory corruption conditions, leading to unpredictable application behavior. This type of vulnerability aligns with CWE-125, which describes out-of-bounds read conditions, and CWE-787, which covers out-of-bounds write operations. The memory corruption occurs during the parsing of movie metadata and media streams, where the application attempts to write data beyond allocated memory boundaries or read from invalid memory locations.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple application crashes, as it provides attackers with a pathway for arbitrary code execution within the context of the user running QuickTime. This capability allows threat actors to escalate privileges and potentially gain full system control, particularly when users unknowingly open malicious movie files from untrusted sources. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where users may encounter such files through email attachments, web downloads, or malicious websites. The denial of service aspect of this vulnerability can also be leveraged for persistent disruption attacks, where repeated exploitation causes system instability and continuous application crashes that degrade user productivity and system availability.
Security professionals should consider this vulnerability in the context of the MITRE ATT&CK framework, specifically under the T1203 - Exploitation for Client Execution tactic, where adversaries exploit software vulnerabilities to execute malicious code on target systems. The attack vector typically involves social engineering campaigns where users are诱导 to open malicious movie files, often disguised as legitimate media content. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including mandatory system updates to Mac OS X 10.7.2 or later versions, which contain patches addressing the memory corruption issues in QuickTime's media processing components. Additionally, network administrators should consider implementing content filtering solutions that can detect and block suspicious media file attachments, particularly those with extensions commonly associated with QuickTime formats such as .mov, .mp4, and .m4v. The vulnerability underscores the importance of keeping multimedia frameworks updated, as these components often process untrusted data from multiple sources and represent common attack vectors in targeted exploitation campaigns.