CVE-2014-8838 in Mac OS X
Summary
by MITRE
The Security component in Apple OS X before 10.10.2 does not properly process cached information about app certificates, which allows attackers to bypass the Gatekeeper protection mechanism by leveraging access to a revoked Developer ID certificate for signing a crafted app.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/16/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-8838 represents a critical flaw in Apple's Gatekeeper security mechanism within OS X versions prior to 10.10.2. This issue stems from improper handling of cached certificate information within the Security component, creating a pathway for malicious actors to circumvent system protections designed to prevent unauthorized software execution. The vulnerability specifically targets the Developer ID certificate validation process, which is fundamental to macOS security architecture and serves as a primary defense against potentially harmful applications.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through a sophisticated cache poisoning attack that leverages revoked Developer ID certificates to sign malicious applications. When the system encounters a revoked certificate in its cache, it fails to properly validate the certificate status, allowing attackers to craft applications that appear legitimate to the Gatekeeper system. This flaw operates at the certificate validation layer, where the system's trust model becomes compromised due to inadequate cache refresh mechanisms. The vulnerability manifests when the Security framework maintains stale certificate information in its cache, preventing proper validation of certificate revocation status.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability undermines the core security model of macOS by enabling attackers to bypass Gatekeeper protections that are designed to prevent execution of unsigned applications and applications from unidentified developers. The attack vector specifically targets the Developer ID certificate system, which is used to validate software authenticity and prevent malicious code execution from untrusted sources. This creates a significant risk for end users who may unknowingly execute compromised applications that would normally be blocked by the operating system's security controls. The vulnerability essentially allows for privilege escalation through application execution bypass, potentially enabling further exploitation and system compromise.
The mitigation strategies for CVE-2014-8838 primarily focus on updating to Apple OS X 10.10.2 or later versions where the certificate cache handling has been properly addressed. System administrators should ensure immediate deployment of the official security patches provided by Apple to resolve the certificate validation cache issue. Additionally, organizations should implement comprehensive monitoring of system updates and maintain strict control over application deployment policies to minimize exposure time. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-200, which addresses improper information handling, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1195 under the "Supply Chain Compromise" category, as it enables attackers to compromise the software supply chain through certificate manipulation. Security teams should also consider implementing additional application whitelisting policies and network monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts, as the vulnerability can be leveraged for initial access and persistence within compromised systems.