CVE-2006-4401
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 · uneditedUnspecified vulnerability in CFNetwork in Mac OS 10.4.8 and earlier allows user-assisted remote attackers to execute arbitrary FTP commands via a crafted FTP URI.
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 confidenceCFNetwork in Mac OS 10.4.8 and earlier contains an unspecified vulnerability in FTP URI handling that allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary FTP commands via a crafted FTP URI. The attack requires user-assisted interaction (likely clicking a malicious link).
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<= 10.4.8CVSS 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 versionOpen Apple menu > About This Mac, or run 'sw_vers' in Terminal. Look for the build version (e.g., 8Lxxxx) or the 10.4.x version number.Affected if The system runs Mac OS X 10.4.8 or any earlier 10.4.x version (10.4.0 through 10.4.7).
-
Identify CFNetwork componentCFNetwork is a system framework on Mac OS X. Check its presence by looking in /System/Library/Frameworks/CFNetwork.framework. The vulnerability exists in how the system handles FTP:// URIs.Affected if The system has CFNetwork.framework installed (standard on all 10.4.x installations).
-
Determine if FTP client functionality is accessibleOpen Terminal and test if the 'ftp' command is available, or check if users have access to any application that handles FTP URIs (browsers, download managers). Run 'which ftp' or 'ftp -h' to confirm the client exists.Affected if FTP client utilities are present and executable on the system.
-
Assess user exposure to FTP linksCheck if users commonly interact with hyperlinks or download content from untrusted sources. Look for web browser usage patterns or email client configuration.Affected if Users can click on FTP links in browsers, email clients, or other applications that register as FTP protocol handlers.
A system is affected if it runs Mac OS X 10.4.8 or earlier AND has CFNetwork with accessible FTP client functionality, allowing users to potentially click malicious FTP links.
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 dataSince this affects Mac OS 10.4.8 (Tiger, 2006), the primary remediation is upgrading to a supported Mac OS version. If legacy systems must run 10.4.8, disable FTP client functionality and educate users about not clicking untrusted FTP links.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing1.0 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 $1,424.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2006-4401 — 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-2006-4401 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