CVE-2014-4441
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 · uneditedNetFS Client Framework in Apple OS X before 10.10 does not ensure that the disabling of File Sharing is always possible, which allows remote attackers to read or write to files by leveraging a state in which File Sharing is permanently enabled.
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 confidenceThe NetFS Client Framework in Apple OS X before 10.10 contains a vulnerability where File Sharing can enter a state in which it cannot be disabled, allowing remote attackers to persistently read or write to files on the affected system.
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.
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Check the installed OS X versionGo to Apple menu > About This Mac, or run 'sw_vers' in Terminal. Look for the version number (e.g., 10.9.5, 10.9.4, etc.)Affected if The version is 10.9.5 or earlier (any version <= 10.9.5)
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Determine if File Sharing is enabledOpen System Preferences > Sharing and look for 'File Sharing' checkbox, or run 'sudo sharing -l' in Terminal to list sharing servicesAffected if File Sharing is currently checked/enabled
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Test whether File Sharing can be disabledIn System Preferences > Sharing, try unchecking the File Sharing box. Alternatively, run 'sudo sharing -d /System/Library/CoreServices/NetFSSharingAgent' in Terminal to disableAffected if File Sharing remains enabled despite attempting to disable it, or the service shows as stuck in an active state
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Inspect active network listeners for file sharing portsRun 'sudo lsof -i' or 'sudo netstat -an | grep LISTEN' in Terminal and look for ports 445 (SMB) and 548 (AFP) in LISTEN stateAffected if Ports 445 or 548 are listening and cannot be stopped by disabling File Sharing in System Preferences
A system is affected if it runs OS X 10.9.5 or earlier AND has File Sharing enabled that cannot be successfully disabled.
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 to OS X 10.10 or later to patch the vulnerable NetFS Client Framework. If upgrading is not immediately possible, disable File Sharing services and implement network segmentation to reduce exposure to remote attack vectors.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation3.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2014-4441 — 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-2014-4441 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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