CVE-2005-2502
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 · uneditedBuffer overflow in AppKit for Mac OS X 10.3.9 and 10.4.2, as used in applications such as TextEdit, allows external user-assisted attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted Microsoft Word file.
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 · high confidenceBuffer overflow vulnerability in Apple's AppKit framework (Mac OS X 10.3.9 and 10.4.2) allows arbitrary code execution when processing crafted Microsoft Word files, likely due to insufficient bounds checking when parsing Word document structures in applications like TextEdit.
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= 10.3.9= 10.4.2= 10.3.9= 10.4.2CVSS 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
- High
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- Partial
- Integrity
- Partial
- Availability
- Partial
AV:N/AC:H/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
-
Check Mac OS X versionRun 'sw_vers' or go to Apple menu > About This Mac to see the exact OS version numberAffected if The version displayed is exactly 10.3.9 or exactly 10.4.2 (not a later security update version)
-
Verify AppKit framework presenceCheck for the presence of /System/Library/Frameworks/AppKit.framework using ls or find commandAffected if The AppKit framework exists on the system (it is a core component of Mac OS X)
-
Confirm TextEdit or word processing app usageCheck if applications capable of opening Word documents (TextEdit, legacy versions of Pages, or third-party word processors) are installed and usedAffected if Users open .doc files using TextEdit or similar built-in applications on the affected OS versions
-
Identify Word document parsing behaviorMonitor or inspect system for .doc file processing through AppKit-based applications - look for recent opened Word files in application logs or recent documentsAffected if The system has processed or attempts to process Microsoft Word (.doc) files using AppKit-based applications
A system is affected if it runs exactly Mac OS X 10.3.9 or 10.4.2 and uses AppKit-based applications to open Word documents, since the buffer overflow exists in the Word document parsing code path within these specific OS versions.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 dataApply Apple security updates for the affected Mac OS X versions, or migrate systems still running these legacy operating systems to supported versions.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,560.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2005-2502 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2005-2502 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
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.
- 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