CVE-2014-4437
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 · uneditedLaunchServices in Apple OS X before 10.10 allows attackers to bypass intended sandbox restrictions via an application that specifies a crafted handler for the Content-Type field of an object.
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 confidenceLaunchServices in Apple OS X before 10.10 contains a sandbox bypass vulnerability where an attacker can craft a malicious application that specifies a crafted handler for the Content-Type field of an object, allowing the application to bypass intended sandbox restrictions and potentially execute code with elevated privileges.
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<= 10.9.5CVSS 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
- Partial
- Integrity
- Partial
- Availability
- Partial
AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P
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.
-
Check the installed OS X versionOpen Terminal and run: sw_vers -productVersionAffected if The version is 10.9.5 or lower (e.g., 10.9.0, 10.9.1, 10.9.2, 10.9.3, 10.9.4, 10.9.5)
-
Identify LaunchServices database locationCheck for the LaunchServices database file at /var/db/com.apple.LaunchServices* or ~/Library/Application Support/com.apple.LaunchServices*.csstoreAffected if These database files exist and contain entries with custom Content-Type handlers
-
Review application bundle Info.plist files for Content-Type handlersExamine the CFBundleDocumentTypes or UTExportedTypeDeclarations sections in application Info.plist files, particularly looking for entries that define Content-Type/UTI handlersAffected if Any application registers a custom handler for Content-Type fields, especially if the handler points to an executable outside the sandbox
-
Check for suspicious LaunchServices entriesRun /System/Library/Frameworks/CoreServices.framework/Frameworks/LaunchServices.framework/Support/lsregister -dump to list registered handlers and examine Content-Type related entriesAffected if Entries show handlers with elevated privileges or executable paths that bypass standard sandbox restrictions
A system is affected if it runs OS X 10.9.5 or earlier AND has applications registered that handle Content-Type fields through LaunchServices with privileged access.
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 dataUpgrade affected systems to OS X 10.10 or later to obtain the security patch that addresses this sandbox bypass vulnerability in LaunchServices.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 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 $2,560.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2014-4437 — 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-2014-4437 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