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Mac Os XOperating system · Apple

CVE-2001-0720

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v2.0 Published 2001-12-06
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
Internet Explorer 5.1 for Macintosh on Mac OS X allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands by causing a BinHex or MacBinary file type to be downloaded, which causes the files to be executed if automatic decoding is enabled.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · moderate confidence

Internet Explorer 5.1 for Macintosh on Mac OS X contains a vulnerability where malicious BinHex or MacBinary encoded files can be automatically decoded and executed when automatic decoding is enabled, allowing remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands.

MitigationDisable automatic decoding in Internet Explorer 5.1 for Mac, or preferably migrate to a modern, supported web browser as this version of IE for Mac is obsolete and no longer receives security updates.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Mac Os XOperating system
Affected:= 10.4.9

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Partial
Integrity
Partial
Availability
Partial

AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Verify Mac OS X version
    Check if the system is running Mac OS X 10.4.9 by going to Apple menu > About This Mac, or run 'sw_vers' in Terminal
    Affected if System is running Mac OS X 10.4.9
  2. Confirm Internet Explorer 5.1 for Mac is installed
    Look for Internet Explorer in the Applications folder, or check for Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.1 in the system's installed applications
    Affected if Internet Explorer 5.1 for Macintosh is installed on the system
  3. Check if automatic decoding is enabled
    Open Internet Explorer 5.1 for Mac, go to Preferences > File Helpers or Encoding settings, and verify if automatic decoding of BinHex or MacBinary encoded files is turned on
    Affected if Automatic decoding is enabled in Internet Explorer 5.1 for Mac preferences

The system is affected if it is running Mac OS X 10.4.9 with Internet Explorer 5.1 for Mac installed and automatic decoding enabled, allowing malicious encoded files to be decoded and executed automatically.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Disable automatic decoding in Internet Explorer 5.1 for Mac, or preferably migrate to a modern, supported web browser as this version of IE for Mac is obsolete and no longer receives security updates.

Fix this in Mac Os X Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
4.0 hours of engineering $750
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2001-0720 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data