CVE-2018-4298 in macOS
Summary
by MITRE
In macOS High Sierra before 10.13.3, Security Update 2018-001 Sierra, and Security Update 2018-001 El Capitan, a permissions issue existed in Remote Management. This issue was addressed through improved permission validation.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/29/2020
The vulnerability described in CVE-2018-4298 represents a critical permissions flaw within the Remote Management functionality of macOS High Sierra versions prior to 10.13.3, as well as in the corresponding Security Updates 2018-001 for Sierra and El Capitan operating systems. This issue fundamentally compromised the security model of Apple's remote management capabilities, creating a pathway for unauthorized access to system resources that should have been restricted to privileged users only. The vulnerability falls under the category of improper access control as classified by CWE-284, where the system fails to properly enforce access restrictions, allowing users to gain elevated privileges through flawed permission validation mechanisms.
The technical flaw manifested in the remote management subsystem where insufficient validation of user permissions allowed malicious actors to bypass normal security boundaries. This occurred during the authentication and authorization process within the remote management services, where the system failed to properly verify whether incoming requests originated from authorized users with appropriate privileges. The weakness created an attack surface that could be exploited by remote adversaries to perform actions that would normally require administrator-level access, including but not limited to system configuration changes, file access, and execution of privileged commands. The vulnerability's impact was particularly severe because it affected core system management functions that are often used by administrators to maintain and monitor their networks.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability posed significant risks to organizations relying on macOS systems for their computing infrastructure. Attackers who successfully exploited this flaw could potentially gain complete control over affected systems, leading to data breaches, system compromise, and unauthorized access to sensitive information. The remote nature of the vulnerability meant that attackers could exploit it from outside the local network without requiring physical access or prior authentication credentials. This characteristic aligns with the ATT&CK framework's technique T1077 for "Local Persistence" and T1059 for "Command and Scripting Interpreter," as attackers could establish persistent access and execute commands on compromised systems. Organizations with multiple macOS devices were particularly vulnerable, as a single compromised system could provide attackers with a foothold to expand their access within the network.
The remediation for this vulnerability required immediate installation of the Security Update 2018-001 for Sierra and El Capitan, along with the macOS High Sierra 10.13.3 update. These patches addressed the underlying permission validation issues by implementing stricter access controls and improving the authentication mechanisms within the remote management services. Security professionals should have conducted immediate assessments of their macOS environments to identify systems running vulnerable versions and prioritized patch deployment. The vulnerability highlights the importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and implementing robust network monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts. Organizations should also review their remote management configurations and ensure that only necessary services are enabled and properly secured. This case demonstrates the critical nature of access control mechanisms in operating system security and the potential consequences of inadequate permission validation in system management services, reinforcing the need for continuous security assessments and proactive vulnerability management practices.