CVE-2016-1774
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 · uneditedThe Time Machine server in Server App in Apple OS X Server before 5.1 does not notify the user about ignored permissions during a backup, which makes it easier for remote attackers to obtain sensitive information in opportunistic circumstances by reading backup data that lacks intended restrictions.
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 confidenceThe Time Machine server in Apple OS X Server App before version 5.1 fails to notify users when file permissions are ignored during backup operations. This causes backup data to be stored without intended access restrictions, potentially exposing sensitive information to remote attackers who gain access to the backup data in opportunistic circumstances.
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<= 5.0.15CVSS 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
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- Low
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N
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 installed Apple OS X Server versionOpen the App Store or Server app, or run 'sw_vers' in Terminal, and look for the Server app version numberAffected if The version is 5.0.15 or earlier (any version <= 5.0.15)
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Verify Time Machine server is configuredOpen Server app, go to Time Machine, and confirm the service is enabled with at least one backup destination configuredAffected if Time Machine server is turned on and accepting backups
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Inspect backup destination permissionsCheck the shared folder or disk used for Time Machine backups in the Server app settings, verify if the 'Ignore ownership' or similar permission bypass option is enabledAffected if Permission ignoring is enabled on the backup destination without user notification being sent
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Review notification settings for backup issuesIn Server app > Time Machine > Settings, look for any notification or alert configuration related to permission errors or access control warningsAffected if Notifications for permission issues are disabled or not configured
You are affected if running Apple OS X Server version 5.0.15 or earlier with Time Machine server enabled and backups configured without permission notification alerts.
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 Apple OS X Server to version 5.1 or later to receive the permission notification fix. Verify that backup operations now properly notify users of any permission issues and ensure backups are stored in secure locations with appropriate access controls.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation2.0 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-2016-1774 — 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-2016-1774 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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data