CVE-2019-8693 in macOS
Summary
by MITRE
A validation issue was addressed with improved input sanitization. This issue is fixed in macOS Mojave 10.14.6. An application may be able to read restricted memory.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/10/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-8693 represents a memory access control issue within macOS Mojave operating system versions prior to 10.14.6. This flaw stems from inadequate input validation mechanisms that fail to properly sanitize user-supplied data before processing. The vulnerability falls under the broader category of information disclosure vulnerabilities, where malicious actors could potentially exploit weak sanitization controls to gain unauthorized access to restricted system memory regions. The issue demonstrates a critical weakness in the operating system's memory protection boundaries, allowing applications to bypass normal access controls that should prevent unauthorized memory reads.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves a validation gap in how the system processes input parameters within application contexts. When applications handle user input or external data streams, the insufficient sanitization allows for malformed data to traverse system boundaries without proper verification. This creates an opportunity for privilege escalation or information disclosure attacks where the malicious application can access memory segments that should be restricted to system processes or privileged operations. The flaw specifically affects the kernel-level memory management subsystem where input validation should occur before data is processed by the core operating system components.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to system security and data integrity within macOS environments. Attackers could potentially exploit this weakness to extract sensitive information from system memory, including kernel data structures, cryptographic keys, or other confidential system information. The vulnerability enables a form of information disclosure attack that aligns with attack techniques described in the attack pattern taxonomy under the MITRE ATT&CK framework, specifically categorized as privilege escalation through memory corruption or information disclosure methods. Organizations running affected macOS versions face potential exposure to sophisticated attacks that could compromise system confidentiality and integrity.
The remediation for CVE-2019-8693 required implementation of enhanced input sanitization measures in macOS Mojave 10.14.6 updates. Apple addressed this issue by strengthening the validation mechanisms that govern how system components process external input data. The fix implements more rigorous checks on data flow between user-space applications and kernel-space memory regions, ensuring that all input passes through proper sanitization routines before being processed. This aligns with security best practices recommended in industry standards such as those outlined in the CWE (Common Weakness Enumeration) database, which catalogs input validation failures as a fundamental security weakness pattern. Organizations should prioritize deployment of the macOS Mojave 10.14.6 update to mitigate this vulnerability and restore proper memory access controls within their systems.