CVE-2009-0138
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 · uneditedservermgrd (Server Manager) in Apple Mac OS X 10.5.6 does not properly validate authentication credentials, which allows remote attackers to modify the system configuration.
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 confidenceCVE-2009-0138 is a vulnerability in servermgrd (Server Manager) on Apple Mac OS X 10.5.6 that fails to properly validate authentication credentials. This flaw allows remote attackers to modify the system configuration without proper authorization.
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= 10.5.6= 10.5.6CVSS 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
- Complete
- Availability
- Complete
AV:N/AC:L/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
-
Identify the Mac OS X versionRun 'sw_vers' or check System Preferences > About to confirm the installed Mac OS X version is 10.5.6Affected if The installed version is exactly Mac OS X 10.5.6 or Mac OS X Server 10.5.6
-
Determine if servermgrd is presentCheck if the servermgrd binary exists by running 'ls /usr/sbin/servermgrd' or 'which servermgrd'Affected if The servermgrd binary exists on the system (it is included with Mac OS X 10.5.6)
-
Verify if servermgrd is runningRun 'ps aux | grep servermgrd' to check if the Server Manager daemon is currently runningAffected if servermgrd process is active and listening for connections
-
Check servermgrd network exposureRun 'sudo lsof -i :311' (default port for servermgrd) or 'sudo netstat -an | grep 311' to see if the service is bound to network interfacesAffected if servermgrd is listening on a network interface and accessible remotely
A system is affected if it is running Mac OS X 10.5.6 or Mac OS X Server 10.5.6 with servermgrd enabled and network-accessible.
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.
dbcve · scopedTo remediate this vulnerability, ensure that proper authentication mechanisms are in place and consider applying any available patches or updates to the affected system. Regularly review and tighten access controls to prevent unauthorized modifications.
Mac OS X 10.5.7 or later (via Apple Security Update 2009-001), or migrate to macOS 10.6 Snow Leopard or newer
- Apply Apple Security Update 2009-001 (or subsequent security updates) which addresses the servermgrd authentication vulnerability in Mac OS X 10.5.6
- Verify the update was successfully installed by checking System Preferences > Software Update
- Alternatively, upgrade to a newer macOS version (10.6 Snow Leopard or later) which includes the security fix
- After applying the update, verify that servermgrd is properly validating authentication credentials
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,544.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2009-0138 — 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-2009-0138 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