Apple Mac OS X MallocStackLogging Local Arbitrary File Modification Vulnerability

BID:14939

Info

Apple Mac OS X MallocStackLogging Local Arbitrary File Modification Vulnerability

Bugtraq ID: 14939
Class: Design Error
CVE: CVE-2005-2748
Remote: No
Local: Yes
Published: Sep 22 2005 12:00AM
Updated: Jul 12 2009 05:06PM
Credit: This issue was discovered by Ilja van Sprundel.
Vulnerable: Apple Mac OS X Server 10.4.2
Apple Mac OS X Server 10.4.1
Apple Mac OS X Server 10.4
Apple Mac OS X Server 10.3.9
Apple Mac OS X Server 10.3.8
Apple Mac OS X Server 10.3.7
Apple Mac OS X Server 10.3.6
Apple Mac OS X Server 10.3.5
Apple Mac OS X Server 10.3.4
Apple Mac OS X Server 10.3.3
Apple Mac OS X Server 10.3.2
Apple Mac OS X Server 10.3.1
Apple Mac OS X Server 10.3
Apple Mac OS X 10.4.2
Apple Mac OS X 10.4.1
Apple Mac OS X 10.4
Apple Mac OS X 10.3.9
Apple Mac OS X 10.3.8
Apple Mac OS X 10.3.7
Apple Mac OS X 10.3.6
Apple Mac OS X 10.3.5
Apple Mac OS X 10.3.4
Apple Mac OS X 10.3.3
Apple Mac OS X 10.3.2
Apple Mac OS X 10.3.1
Apple Mac OS X 10.3
Not Vulnerable:

Discussion

Apple Mac OS X MallocStackLogging Local Arbitrary File Modification Vulnerability

Mac OS X is susceptible to a local arbitrary file modification vulnerability. This issue is due to insecure file handling in the 'malloc()' library for setuid applications.

This issue occurs due to insufficient checks in the memory allocation library, leading to local users being able to utilize the debugging features on setuid applications.

A local attacker could exploit this vulnerability to create, or append data to arbitrary files with superuser privileges. Depending on the purpose of the modified files, this may cause system crashes, or allow attackers to gain elevated privileges.

This issue was first described in BID 14914, but has been split into its own record due to further information availability.

Exploit / POC

Apple Mac OS X MallocStackLogging Local Arbitrary File Modification Vulnerability

An exploit is not required.

Solution / Fix

Apple Mac OS X MallocStackLogging Local Arbitrary File Modification Vulnerability

Solution:
Apple has released advisory APPLE-SA-2005-09-22 and fixes to address these issues:


Apple Mac OS X 10.3.9

Apple Mac OS X Server 10.3.9

Apple Mac OS X 10.4.2

Apple Mac OS X Server 10.4.2

References

Apple Mac OS X MallocStackLogging Local Arbitrary File Modification Vulnerability

References:

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