dbcve.org
Mac Os XOperating system · Apple

CVE-2014-7861

HIGH · 9.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2014-10-05
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
The IOHIDSecurePromptClient function in Apple OS X does not properly validate pointer values, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (system crash) via a crafted web site.

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

The IOHIDSecurePromptClient function in Apple OS X fails to properly validate pointer values. This pointer validation flaw allows a remote attacker delivering exploit code through a malicious website to either execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the affected component or crash the system.

MitigationApply the relevant Apple security update for OS X to resolve the pointer validation vulnerability; until patched, users should avoid visiting untrusted websites to reduce exposure to drive-by exploitation attempts.

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:all versions

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
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 checks

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

  1. Confirm the operating system is Apple Mac OS X
    Run 'uname -a' or check System Information to verify the OS is Mac OS X
    Affected if The system is running Mac OS X (any version) and the IOHIDSecurePromptClient component is present
  2. Verify the IOHIDSecurePromptClient component exists
    Check for the presence of IOKit framework which contains IOHIDSecurePromptClient; on Mac OS X this can be verified through system library inspection
    Affected if The IOKit framework with IOHIDSecurePromptClient is present on the system
  3. Determine if the system has web browsing capabilities
    Check if a web browser (Safari, Chrome, Firefox) is installed and enabled on the system
    Affected if A web browser is installed and can be used to visit websites, providing the attack vector for drive-by exploitation

If the system is running any version of Mac OS X with the IOHIDSecurePromptClient component present and web browsing is enabled, the environment is affected by this vulnerability and could be exploited through malicious websites.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply the relevant Apple security update for OS X to resolve the pointer validation vulnerability; until patched, users should avoid visiting untrusted websites to reduce exposure to drive-by exploitation attempts.

Fix this in Mac Os X Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,060
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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-2014-7861 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