CVE-2018-4053 in Galaxy
Summary
by MITRE
An exploitable local denial-of-service vulnerability exists in the privileged helper tool of GOG Galaxy's Games, version 1.2.47 for macOS. An attacker can send malicious data to the root-listening service, causing the application to terminate and become unavailable.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/21/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-4053 represents a critical local denial-of-service weakness within GOG Galaxy's privileged helper tool on macOS systems. This flaw specifically affects version 1.2.47 of the gaming platform's software, where the privileged helper component operates with elevated root privileges to perform system-level functions. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation within the helper tool's communication interface, which accepts data from untrusted sources without proper sanitization or boundary checking mechanisms. When malicious data is transmitted to the root-listening service, the helper tool fails to properly handle the malformed input, resulting in an abrupt termination of the application process and subsequent unavailability of the service.
This vulnerability operates under the Common Weakness Enumeration framework as a weakness related to insufficient input validation and improper error handling within privileged system components. The attack vector involves local exploitation where an attacker with standard user privileges can craft and send malicious payloads to the helper tool's listening service. The technical implementation flaw manifests as a lack of proper bounds checking and memory management within the helper tool's data processing routines, creating a condition where malformed input causes memory corruption or stack overflow scenarios. The privilege escalation aspect is particularly concerning as the helper tool operates with root privileges, making the denial-of-service impact more severe than typical user-space applications.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption to potentially compromise the overall system stability and security posture of macOS environments where GOG Galaxy is installed. When the privileged helper tool terminates unexpectedly, it can leave the system in an inconsistent state where certain gaming platform functionalities become permanently unavailable until manual intervention occurs. The vulnerability affects the availability aspect of the CIA triad by preventing legitimate users from accessing the gaming platform's services, while also potentially creating opportunities for more sophisticated attacks if attackers can leverage the termination to trigger additional system instability. The impact is particularly severe in enterprise environments where gaming platforms are deployed as part of software distribution strategies, as it could lead to widespread service unavailability across multiple systems.
From a cybersecurity perspective, this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499.004 which covers "Endpoint Denial of Service" and represents a direct threat to system availability. The exploitation requires minimal privileges and can be automated, making it attractive to threat actors seeking to disrupt services. Mitigation strategies should focus on input validation improvements, proper error handling mechanisms, and privilege separation principles to prevent escalation of local denial-of-service conditions. System administrators should implement monitoring for unusual termination patterns of privileged helper tools and consider disabling unnecessary privileged components when they are not actively required. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of proper code review practices for privileged system components and the necessity of comprehensive testing for boundary conditions and malformed input scenarios in security-critical applications. Regular patch management and software updates become essential to address such flaws that could otherwise be exploited to create persistent service disruption conditions.