dbcve.org
Mac Os XOperating system · Apple

CVE-2009-0018

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v2.0 Published 2009-02-13
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
87/100
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
The Remote Apple Events server in Apple Mac OS X 10.4.11 and 10.5.6 does not properly initialize a buffer, which allows remote attackers to read portions of memory.

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

The Remote Apple Events server in Apple Mac OS X 10.4.11 and 10.5.6 contains an uninitialized buffer vulnerability that allows remote attackers to read portions of memory by exploiting improper buffer initialization before use.

MitigationUpgrade to a supported macOS version or disable the Remote Apple Events service if not required, as these older systems are no longer patched by Apple.

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= 10.5.6
Mac Os X ServerOperating system
Affected:= 10.4.11= 10.5.6

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
Complete
Integrity
None
Availability
None

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

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 the installed macOS version
    Run 'sw_vers' in Terminal or view System Preferences > About to see the exact version number (e.g., 10.4.11 or 10.5.6)
    Affected if The version shown is exactly 10.4.11 or exactly 10.5.6
  2. Confirm Remote Apple Events is enabled
    Open System Preferences > Sharing and look for 'Remote Apple Events' checkbox, or run 'systemsetup -getremotelogin' to check Apple Event receiving status
    Affected if Remote Apple Events is checked/enabled (the service is listening for incoming connections)
  3. Verify the system is an Apple Mac OS X Server variant
    Check if the installed system is Mac OS X Server by running 'sw_vers -productVersion' or checking the system profile
    Affected if The system is Mac OS X Server version 10.4.11 or 10.5.6 with Remote Apple Events enabled

You are affected only if your system is exactly Mac OS X or Mac OS X Server version 10.4.11 or 10.5.6 AND Remote Apple Events service is currently enabled.

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

Upgrade to a supported macOS version or disable the Remote Apple Events service if not required, as these older systems are no longer patched by Apple.

Fix this in Mac Os X Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,930
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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-2009-0018 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