dbcve.org
Mac Os XOperating system · Apple

CVE-2008-1031

HIGH · 9.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2008-06-02
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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
CoreGraphics in Apple Mac OS X before 10.5.3 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (application crash) via a crafted PDF document, related to an uninitialized variable.

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 confidence

CoreGraphics in Mac OS X before 10.5.3 contains an uninitialized variable vulnerability in PDF document processing that can be triggered by opening a maliciously crafted PDF file, allowing remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause application crash.

MitigationUpgrade to Mac OS X 10.5.3 or later to patch the uninitialized variable vulnerability in CoreGraphics PDF rendering.

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:= 10.4.11= 10.5= 10.5.1= 10.5.2
Mac Os X ServerOperating system
Affected:= 10.4.11= 10.5= 10.5.1= 10.5.2

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
M
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C

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. Check your Mac OS X version
    Open Terminal and run: sw_vers -productVersion
    Affected if The version is 10.4.11, 10.5, 10.5.1, or 10.5.2 (versions before 10.5.3)
  2. Confirm CoreGraphics PDF support is present
    Verify the CoreGraphics framework exists by checking: ls /System/Library/Frameworks/ApplicationServices.framework/Frameworks/CoreGraphics.framework/
    Affected if The CoreGraphics framework is present on the system (default in these OS versions)
  3. Verify PDF rendering capability
    Check if PDF Services are available: ls /System/Library/Frameworks/ApplicationServices.framework/Frameworks/CoreGraphics.framework/Resources/
    Affected if PDF-related resources exist in CoreGraphics (default installation)
  4. Identify user exposure to PDF files
    Determine if the system routinely opens or previews PDF documents using Finder Quick Look, Safari, Preview app, or other applications
    Affected if Users open or preview PDF documents on the system

You are affected if your Mac OS X version is 10.4.11, 10.5, 10.5.1, or 10.5.2 AND you open or process PDF documents using system frameworks.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade to Mac OS X 10.5.3 or later to patch the uninitialized variable vulnerability in CoreGraphics PDF rendering.

Recommended fix High confidence

Mac OS X 10.5.3 or later

  1. 1. Back up all critical data on the system before performing any upgrade.
  2. 2. Download Mac OS X 10.5.3 or later from Apple's official support website or through Software Update.
  3. 3. Verify the integrity of the downloaded update package.
  4. 4. Apply the security update by running the installer or using Software Update.
  5. 5. Restart the system after the update completes to ensure all components are properly updated.
  6. 6. Verify the system is now running version 10.5.3 or later by checking About This Mac.
Caveat Upgrading from Mac OS X 10.4.x to 10.5.x introduces significant system changes and may require application compatibility verification

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Mac Os X Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
5.0 hours of engineering $860
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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-2008-1031 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
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