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FrSIRT Reports Mac Denial of Service Flaw

by , 8:20 AM EST, November 27th, 2006

The computer security watchdog group FrSIRT is reporting a new potential security threat to Mac OS X that could result in a denial of service attack. The threat takes advantage of a flaw in the kevent() function when registering certain kernel events and allows local unprivileged users to cause the system to panic.

The attack requires direct access to the affected computer, so the threat of theft or physical vandalism is probably greater than the potential for a denial of service attack.

This security threat impacts Mac OS X10.4.8 and earlier, and Apple has not yet released a security update to fix the issue. It is considered low risk, and there are currently no known instances of the exploit being used.

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View Name:Guest
Mon Nov 27, 2006 10:32 am Subject: Danger. Security flaw allows denial of service
Close Name:horvatic Posts: 99 Joined: 27 Jun 2003
Mon Nov 27, 2006 10:49 am Subject: This threat is beyond low it's more like buried

I would hardly call this a threat when you need direct access to the system. This so called threat is beyond low it more like buried.


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View Name:Guest
Mon Nov 27, 2006 10:52 am Subject: Wait a second...
Close Name:Mikuro Posts: 450 Joined: 15 Jun 2002
Mon Nov 27, 2006 12:20 pm Subject: Who said it was a big deal?

At least these people are actually being honest about this risk. They're not blowing it out of proportion like fear-mongers, the way most of these reports do.

A security hole doesn't need to be exploitable over the Internet to matter. For most home users, something that requires physical access isn't too scary, but in offices, schools, libraries, etc., it matters just as much as, if not more than, remote attacks.

Although as far as any kind of attack goes, causing a simple crash IS pretty ho-hum. You might as well just turn off the machine. *shrug* Definitely low-risk. When something like this makes it to a news site, you know the state of Mac security is pretty damned good.


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