Vulnerability Note VU#794752

Apple iChat AIM URI handler format string vulnerability

Original Release date: 16 Feb 2007 | Last revised: 05 Mar 2007

Overview

Apple iChat contains a format string vulnerability. This vulnerability may allow a remote, unauthenticated attacker to execute arbitary code.

Description

The Apple iChat AIM URI handler fails to properly sanitize user-controlled data that is supplied to a formatted output function. This may allow a format string vulnerability to occur.

Depending on the user's browser, an attacker may be able to exploit this vulnerability by persuading a user to access a specially crafted web page. Some web browsers, such as Safari, automatically launch iChat to handle certain types of URIs. So, if a Safari user accesses a web page containing a specially crafted URI, iChat will be launched to process that URI. This may trigger the vulnerability.

Impact

A remote, unauthenticated attacker may be able to execute arbitrary code.

Solution

Apply an update

Apple has addressed this issue with Apple Security Update 2007-002.

Systems Affected (Learn More)

VendorStatusDate NotifiedDate Updated
Apple Computer, Inc.Affected-16 Feb 2007
If you are a vendor and your product is affected, let us know.

CVSS Metrics (Learn More)

Group Score Vector
Base N/A N/A
Temporal N/A N/A
Environmental N/A N/A

References

Credit

This vulnerability was publicly disclosed as part of the Month of Apple Bugs project.

This document was written by Jeff Gennari.

Other Information

  • CVE IDs: CVE-2007-0021
  • Date Public: 20 Jan 2007
  • Date First Published: 16 Feb 2007
  • Date Last Updated: 05 Mar 2007
  • Severity Metric: 11.85
  • Document Revision: 25

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