CVE-2014-4390
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 · uneditedBluetooth in Apple OS X before 10.9.5 does not properly validate API calls, which allows attackers to execute arbitrary code in a privileged context via a crafted application.
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 confidenceThis vulnerability in Apple's OS X Bluetooth implementation stems from improper validation of API calls, allowing a malicious application to execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges. The flaw enables a local attacker to bypass security restrictions and run code in a privileged context, potentially achieving full system compromise.
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= 10.9= 10.9.1= 10.9.2= 10.9.3= 10.9.4CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify the installed OS X versionRun 'sw_vers -productVersion' in Terminal or select 'About This Mac' from the Apple menuAffected if The version shown is 10.9, 10.9.1, 10.9.2, 10.9.3, or 10.9.4
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Confirm Bluetooth is present and enabledCheck System Preferences > Bluetooth or run 'system_profiler SPBluetoothDataType' in TerminalAffected if Bluetooth hardware is available and the Bluetooth service is turned on
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Verify the Bluetooth daemon is runningRun 'ps aux | grep blued' in Terminal to check if the Bluetooth daemon (blued) is activeAffected if The blued process is running, indicating the Bluetooth stack is active
A system is affected if it runs OS X 10.9 through 10.9.4 and has the Bluetooth feature enabled, as the vulnerability exists in the Bluetooth implementation's API validation.
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 · scopedApply Apple OS X 10.9.5 or later security update, which contains the corrected Bluetooth validation routines. As this is a validation bypass that enables privilege escalation, immediate patching is critical given the high CVSS score.
OS X 10.9.5 (Mavericks) or later
- Open the Apple menu and select 'Software Update' to check for available updates
- Install OS X 10.9.5 or later which contains the security fix for the Bluetooth vulnerability
- Alternatively, download the OS X 10.9.5 Combo Update directly from Apple's support website
- Restart the system after installing the update to complete the remediation
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation1.0 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 $1,696.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2014-4390 — 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-2014-4390 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
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- 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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