CVE-2017-2533 in macOS
Summary
by MITRE
An issue was discovered in certain Apple products. macOS before 10.12.5 is affected. The issue involves the "DiskArbitration" component. A race condition allows attackers to execute arbitrary code in a privileged context via a crafted app.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/19/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-2533 represents a critical race condition flaw within Apple's DiskArbitration framework affecting macOS versions prior to 10.12.5. This component serves as a core system service responsible for managing disk arbitration operations and handling volume mounting processes. The race condition occurs during the interaction between the DiskArbitration framework and malicious applications attempting to exploit timing vulnerabilities in the system's privilege escalation mechanisms. The flaw specifically manifests when a crafted application attempts to manipulate disk arbitration events while the system processes legitimate disk operations, creating a temporal window where attacker-controlled code can be executed with elevated privileges.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability leverages the inherent timing discrepancies within the DiskArbitration subsystem's privilege validation processes. When a malicious application triggers specific disk arbitration events, the system's race condition allows unauthorized code execution within the privileged context of the DiskArbitration framework itself. This represents a classic privilege escalation vulnerability where the attacker exploits the temporal gap between when a system component validates privileges and when it actually executes operations. The vulnerability falls under CWE-362, which specifically addresses race conditions in security-critical operations, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1068 which covers the exploitation of privilege escalation vulnerabilities.
The operational impact of CVE-2017-2533 extends beyond simple code execution, as it provides attackers with elevated system privileges that could enable complete system compromise. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability can gain root-level access to the affected macOS system, potentially leading to data exfiltration, persistence mechanisms installation, and further lateral movement within network environments. The vulnerability's exploitation requires minimal user interaction beyond the installation of the malicious application, making it particularly dangerous in targeted attack scenarios. The race condition nature means that successful exploitation is not guaranteed on every system interaction, but once achieved, the privilege escalation is complete and persistent.
Organizations and users affected by this vulnerability should immediately upgrade to macOS 10.12.5 or later versions where Apple has patched the race condition in the DiskArbitration framework. System administrators should implement comprehensive monitoring for suspicious disk arbitration events and ensure all endpoints maintain current security patches. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper privilege validation timing and race condition mitigation in system services that handle sensitive operations. Security teams should also consider implementing application whitelisting policies to prevent execution of untrusted applications that might attempt to exploit such timing vulnerabilities. This case highlights the necessity of thorough security testing for temporal race conditions in system-level components and reinforces the principle that privilege escalation vulnerabilities in core operating system services represent the highest severity risk category.