CVE-2011-3448 in Mac OS X
Summary
by MITRE
Heap-based buffer overflow in CoreMedia in Apple Mac OS X before 10.7.3 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (application crash) via a crafted movie file with H.264 encoding.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/29/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2011-3448 represents a critical heap-based buffer overflow within Apple's CoreMedia framework affecting Mac OS X versions prior to 10.7.3. This flaw resides in the handling of H.264 encoded movie files, making it particularly dangerous as H.264 is one of the most widely used video compression formats across digital media platforms. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation within the media parsing routines that process movie file headers and metadata, specifically when encountering malformed or crafted H.264 streams that manipulate memory allocation patterns. The flaw operates at the intersection of multimedia processing and memory management, where the CoreMedia framework fails to properly bounds-check buffer allocations when parsing video stream parameters, leading to memory corruption that can be exploited to execute arbitrary code or induce system crashes.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability follows a classic heap overflow pattern where malicious input causes the application to write beyond allocated memory boundaries, potentially overwriting adjacent heap metadata or executable code segments. Attackers can craft specially formatted movie files that, when opened by vulnerable applications such as QuickTime Player or other media players leveraging CoreMedia, trigger the buffer overflow condition. This type of vulnerability maps directly to CWE-121 Heap-based Buffer Overflow, which specifically addresses buffer overflows occurring in heap memory regions where memory is dynamically allocated and deallocated during program execution. The attack vector is particularly insidious because it requires no user interaction beyond opening a malicious file, making it suitable for remote exploitation through email attachments, web downloads, or malicious websites that serve crafted media content.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to enterprise and individual users alike, as it can result in complete system compromise or denial of service conditions. The ability to execute arbitrary code on a target system represents a severe privilege escalation threat, potentially allowing attackers to gain full control over the affected Mac OS X system. The vulnerability affects a broad range of applications that rely on CoreMedia for media processing, including but not limited to QuickTime Player, iTunes, and various third-party media applications. The denial of service aspect can be equally damaging, as it can cause applications to crash repeatedly, leading to productivity loss and potential data access issues. This vulnerability also aligns with ATT&CK technique T1203, which covers the exploitation of software vulnerabilities for privilege escalation and system compromise, making it a valuable target for advanced persistent threat actors seeking to establish persistent access to Mac environments.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2011-3448 primarily focus on immediate system updates and application hardening measures. Apple addressed this vulnerability through the release of Mac OS X 10.7.3, which included patches to the CoreMedia framework that properly validate buffer allocations during media file processing. Organizations should prioritize immediate deployment of this security update across all affected systems, as the vulnerability remains exploitable in unpatched environments. Additional defensive measures include implementing sandboxing policies that restrict media application access to system resources, deploying network-based intrusion detection systems that can identify suspicious media file patterns, and establishing strict file validation procedures for email attachments and web downloads. Security professionals should also consider implementing application whitelisting policies that limit which media applications can process potentially malicious content, while maintaining regular vulnerability assessments to identify similar issues in other multimedia frameworks. The vulnerability highlights the importance of robust input validation in multimedia processing libraries and underscores the need for continuous security auditing of core system frameworks that handle untrusted data from external sources.