CVE-2014-4396
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 · uneditedAn unspecified integrated graphics driver routine in the Intel Graphics Driver subsystem in Apple OS X before 10.9.5 does not properly validate calls, which allows attackers to execute arbitrary code in a privileged context via a crafted application, a different vulnerability than CVE-2014-4394, CVE-2014-4395, CVE-2014-4397, CVE-2014-4398, CVE-2014-4399, CVE-2014-4400, CVE-2014-4401, and CVE-2014-4416.
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 confidenceA vulnerability in the Intel Graphics Driver subsystem in Apple OS X versions prior to 10.9.5 allows local attackers to execute arbitrary code in a privileged context. The issue stems from improper validation of calls in an integrated graphics driver routine, enabling privilege escalation via a crafted application.
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= 10.8.5= 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
- Local
- Complexity
- M
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- Complete
- Integrity
- Complete
- Availability
- Complete
AV:L/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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Check the installed OS X version numberRun 'sw_vers -productVersion' in Terminal or check System Preferences > AboutAffected if The version displayed is 10.8.5, 10.9, 10.9.1, 10.9.2, 10.9.3, or 10.9.4
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Verify the exact OS X build versionRun 'sw_vers -buildVersion' in TerminalAffected if The build version corresponds to one of the affected OS X releases (the specific build numbers for 10.8.5 through 10.9.4)
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Confirm the Intel HD Graphics driver component is presentCheck /System/Library/Extensions/AppleIntelHD*.kext for the graphics driver kernel extension, or run 'kextstat | grep -i intel' to list loaded Intel kernel extensionsAffected if Intel graphics kernel extensions are loaded on an affected OS X version (the vulnerability exists in this driver component)
The environment is affected if the system runs OS X version 10.8.5 through 10.9.4 with the Intel Graphics Driver loaded, as the privilege escalation vulnerability exists in that specific driver on those versions only.
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.
From vendor dataApply the Apple OS X 10.9.5 security update or upgrade to a supported macOS version to patch the Intel Graphics Driver vulnerability.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2014-4396 — 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-2014-4396 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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