CVE-2018-4178 in macOS
Summary
by MITRE
A permissions issue existed in which execute permission was incorrectly granted. This issue was addressed with improved permission validation. This issue affected versions prior to macOS High Sierra 10.13.4.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/01/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-4178 represents a significant permissions flaw in macOS operating systems that persisted across multiple versions prior to the release of macOS High Sierra 10.13.4. This issue falls under the broader category of improper access control vulnerabilities, specifically manifesting as an incorrect permission granting mechanism that allowed unauthorized execution of code or access to restricted system resources. The flaw existed within the core operating system permission model, creating a potential attack vector that could be exploited by malicious actors to escalate privileges or gain unauthorized access to system functions.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in the flawed implementation of permission validation mechanisms within the macOS kernel and system services. When the operating system processes requests for execute permissions, it failed to properly validate whether the requesting entity had appropriate authorization levels to perform the requested operation. This misconfiguration allowed processes or users to potentially bypass standard security checks that should have prevented execution of certain system functions or access to protected resources. The issue demonstrates a classic case of insufficient privilege checking where the system granted execute permissions based on incomplete or incorrect validation logic rather than proper security context evaluation.
The operational impact of CVE-2018-4178 extends beyond simple unauthorized access, as it could enable attackers to execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges or gain access to sensitive system components. Attackers could potentially exploit this vulnerability to bypass security controls that normally prevent unauthorized execution of system binaries or services. This flaw particularly affected systems running macOS versions earlier than 10.13.4, creating a window of vulnerability where malicious actors could leverage the improper permission handling to escalate their privileges or compromise system integrity. The vulnerability's impact was significant enough to warrant immediate attention and patching, as it represented a fundamental weakness in the operating system's security architecture.
Organizations and users running affected macOS versions faced substantial risk from this vulnerability, as it could be exploited through various attack vectors including malicious software installation, privilege escalation attempts, or exploitation of other vulnerabilities that could leverage the permission flaw. The remediation strategy focused on implementing improved permission validation mechanisms that properly enforce access controls and ensure that execute permissions are only granted when appropriate security checks have been successfully completed. This fix aligns with security best practices outlined in the CWE database under category 284 which addresses improper access control issues. The patch provided by Apple addressed the core validation logic and reinforced the security boundaries that should prevent unauthorized execution of system functions. This vulnerability also relates to tactics described in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under privilege escalation and defense evasion techniques where attackers might attempt to bypass system protections through improper access control mechanisms.