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7.2

Apple Mac OS X lets local user gain admin rights

CVE-2009-1235 · published 17 years ago
Summary

On older versions of Apple Mac OS X (up to 10.5.6), a flaw lets someone who already has a user account attach a special disk image and overwrite core system memory. This can give that user full control of the computer. Update the operating system to a newer release or apply any patches provided by Apple to close the gap.

What to do

The CVE record does not list a fixed version. Check the vendor's site or the advisory links below - a fix may already be released.

Affected software
VendorProductAffected versions
apple mac_os_x <= 10.5.6
10.0
10.0.0
10.0.1
10.0.2
10.0.3
10.0.4
10.1
10.1.0
10.1.1
10.1.2
10.1.3
43 more version ranges
cpe:2.3:o:apple:mac_os_x:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
apple mac_os_x_server <= 10.5.6
10.0
10.0.0
10.0.1
10.0.2
10.0.3
10.0.4
10.1
10.1.0
10.1.1
10.1.2
10.1.3
43 more version ranges
cpe:2.3:o:apple:mac_os_x_server:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
Original advisory text
XNU 1228.9.59 and earlier on Apple Mac OS X 10.5.6 and earlier does not properly restrict interaction between user space and the HFS IOCTL handler, which allows local users to overwrite kernel memo...
XNU 1228.9.59 and earlier on Apple Mac OS X 10.5.6 and earlier does not properly restrict interaction between user space and the HFS IOCTL handler, which allows local users to overwrite kernel memory and gain privileges by attaching an HFS+ disk image and performing certain steps involving HFS_GET_BOOT_INFO fcntl calls.
References
Fix within
Internet-facing 14 days
Internal At next upgrade
  • Not known to be exploited
  • Needs hands-on effort to exploit (estimated)
  • Gives an attacker full control (estimated)
Severity
7.2 High
Exploitation
<1% chance of attack within 30 days
Type
CWE-264Permissions, Privileges, and Access Controls
Timeline
Published2 Apr 2009
Updated3 Nov 2026
First seen29 Sep 2026
Sources
CVE-2009-1235 · NVD
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