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OS X RCE Vulnerability

A security researcher has discovered a vulnerability in the OS X kernel that allows an attacker with local network access to achieve remote code execution (RCE) on affected devices.
Threat ID:
CC-2762
Category:
Exploit
Threat Severity:
Low
Threat Vector:
Vulnerability
Published:
1 November 2018 12:00 AM
Report a cyber attack: call 0300 303 5222 or email [email protected]

This content has been archived

This article no longer conforms to NHS Digital's standards for cyber alerts, and may contain outdated or inaccurate information. Use of this information contained in this page is at your own risk

Summary

A security researcher has discovered a vulnerability in the OS X kernel that allows an attacker with local network access to achieve remote code execution (RCE) on affected devices.

Affected platforms

The following platforms are known to be affected:

macOS

Apple OS X - All versions (Users of macOS and iOS should refer to CC-2756)

Threat details

The kernel is vulnerable to a memory heap buffer overflow attack when a malicious IP packet is sent to the device. No user interaction is required to exploit this vulnerability.

The security researcher has demonstrated a proof of concept exploit that overwrites the memory heap with garbage data, causing the kernel to crash and the device to reboot.

Remediation steps

Type Step
All versions of OS X are now unsupported and security updates will not be made available. The vulnerability can be mitigated by turning on the firewall's Stealth Mode option. Avoiding public WiFi networks will also help to minimise exploits.

Last edited: 17 February 2020 12:51 pm