CVE-2014-1378

Vulnerability

IOGraphicsFamily in Apple OS X before 10.9.4 exposes a kernel pointer through an IOKit object that can be read by local users. By leveraging read access to this pointer, an attacker can defeat Address Space Layout Randomization (ASLR). The vulnerability affects OS X Mavericks versions 10.9 through 10.9.3 [1].

Exploitation

An attacker must have local access to the system and the ability to read a kernel pointer from an IOKit object. No additional privileges or user interaction is required beyond local user access. The attacker reads the pointer from the IOKit object to bypass ASLR protections [1].

Impact

Successful exploitation allows a local attacker to bypass ASLR, a key memory protection mechanism. This disclosure of kernel memory layout information can be used to facilitate further attacks, such as escalating privileges or executing arbitrary code with kernel-level access [1].

Mitigation

Apple addressed this issue in OS X Mavericks 10.9.4, released on July 1, 2014. Users should update via Software Update or from the Apple Support website. No workarounds are provided in the available references [1].