dbcve.org
Mac Os XOperating system · Apple

CVE-2014-4393

HIGH · 10.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2014-09-19
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
Buffer overflow in the shader compiler in the Intel Graphics Driver subsystem in Apple OS X before 10.9.5 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (application crash) via a crafted GLSL shader.

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

Buffer overflow vulnerability in the Intel Graphics Driver shader compiler in Apple OS X versions prior to 10.9.5 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause denial of service via maliciously crafted GLSL (OpenGL Shading Language) shaders.

MitigationApply Apple OS X 10.9.5 or later security update which patches the Intel Graphics Driver buffer overflow vulnerability.

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:= 10.8.5= 10.9= 10.9.1= 10.9.2= 10.9.3= 10.9.4

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
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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check installed OS X version
    Click Apple menu > About This Mac to view the OS X version number
    Affected if The version shown is 10.8.5, 10.9, 10.9.1, 10.9.2, 10.9.3, or 10.9.4 (versions prior to 10.9.5)
  2. Confirm Intel graphics hardware is present
    Check System Report > Graphics/Displays for Intel integrated graphics controller
    Affected if Intel graphics hardware is detected and the OS version is among the affected versions listed
  3. Verify OpenGL shader compilation capability
    Open System Report > Graphics/Drivers and confirm OpenGL driver version is listed for Intel graphics
    Affected if OpenGL drivers are present and the OS version is vulnerable

You are affected if your Mac runs OS X 10.9 through 10.9.4 or OS X 10.8.5 and has Intel graphics hardware that can compile GLSL shaders.

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

Apply Apple OS X 10.9.5 or later security update which patches the Intel Graphics Driver buffer overflow vulnerability.

Recommended fix High confidence

OS X 10.9.5 or later (consider upgrading to the latest supported macOS version for your hardware)

  1. Back up important data on the Mac before proceeding with the update
  2. Verify the current Mac OS X version by clicking Apple menu > About This Mac
  3. Download OS X 10.9.5 from Apple Support or use the Mac App Store to check for updates
  4. Run the OS X 10.9.5 update installer or install via Mac App Store update
  5. Restart the computer when prompted to complete the installation
  6. Verify the update was successful by checking About This Mac shows version 10.9.5
Caveat Upgrading OS X may cause compatibility issues with older applications; backup all important data before proceeding

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
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
5.0 hours of engineering $890
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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-2014-4393 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