CVE-2016-7600 in macOS
Summary
by MITRE
An issue was discovered in certain Apple products. macOS before 10.12.2 is affected. The issue involves the "OpenPAM" component, which allows local users to obtain sensitive information by leveraging mishandling of failed PAM authentication by a sandboxed app.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/22/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-7600 resides within Apple's OpenPAM implementation on macOS systems prior to version 10.12.2. This flaw represents a significant security weakness in the platform's authentication framework that could be exploited by local attackers to gain unauthorized access to sensitive information. The issue specifically affects the sandboxed application environment where applications operate with restricted privileges and access controls. OpenPAM serves as a critical component in macOS authentication processes, managing the interaction between applications and the system's authentication modules. When a sandboxed application attempts authentication and fails, the system's handling of this failure creates an information disclosure vulnerability that can be leveraged by malicious actors. The vulnerability falls under the category of information disclosure flaws that can be classified as CWE-200, which deals with exposure of sensitive information to an unauthorized actor.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from how OpenPAM manages authentication failures within the sandboxed application context. When a sandboxed application attempts to authenticate and the process fails, the system inadvertently leaks sensitive information through error handling mechanisms. This occurs because the authentication subsystem does not properly sanitize or restrict the information returned during failed authentication attempts. The flaw allows local users to exploit this misconfiguration and extract potentially sensitive data that would normally be restricted from access. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it operates within the confines of a sandboxed environment where applications are expected to have limited access to system resources and information. Attackers can leverage this weakness to gather information about the system's authentication state, user credentials, or other sensitive data that could be used for further exploitation. The security implications extend beyond simple information disclosure, as this vulnerability could serve as a stepping stone for more sophisticated attacks within the macOS environment.
The operational impact of CVE-2016-7600 is substantial for organizations and individual users running affected macOS versions. Local attackers with minimal privileges can exploit this vulnerability to obtain sensitive information that could be used for privilege escalation, credential harvesting, or system reconnaissance. The vulnerability affects all sandboxed applications on the affected systems, making it particularly dangerous in environments where multiple applications operate within the sandboxed framework. Security professionals must consider this vulnerability as part of their overall attack surface assessment, as it could be combined with other exploits to create more severe security incidents. The impact is particularly significant in enterprise environments where macOS systems are used for sensitive operations and where local privilege escalation could lead to unauthorized access to critical systems and data. Organizations should immediately assess their macOS deployment to identify systems running versions prior to 10.12.2 and implement appropriate mitigations.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2016-7600 primarily involve upgrading affected macOS systems to version 10.12.2 or later, which contains the necessary patches to address the OpenPAM authentication flaw. System administrators should also implement additional monitoring and logging to detect potential exploitation attempts of this vulnerability. The patch released by Apple addresses the specific information disclosure issue within the OpenPAM component and ensures proper handling of authentication failures in sandboxed applications. Organizations should also consider implementing additional security controls such as privilege separation, application whitelisting, and enhanced monitoring of authentication-related system calls. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability could be categorized under privilege escalation techniques and credential access methods, as it provides a means for local users to obtain sensitive information that could be used for further exploitation. Network administrators should monitor for unusual authentication patterns or error messages that might indicate exploitation attempts of this vulnerability. The remediation process should include comprehensive testing of the updated system to ensure that the patch does not introduce compatibility issues with existing applications while effectively addressing the security weakness.