CVE-2014-4427

Vulnerability

The App Sandbox in Apple OS X prior to version 10.10 (Yosemite) contains a flaw that allows an attacker to bypass the sandbox protection mechanism using the accessibility API. This affects system configurations where the accessibility API is enabled and accessible to sandboxed applications.

Exploitation

An attacker would need to have code execution within a sandboxed application. By leveraging the accessibility API, the attacker can escape the sandbox and perform actions outside its intended restrictions. No additional authentication is required beyond the initial sandbox access.

Impact

Successful exploitation allows an attacker to bypass the App Sandbox, potentially gaining unauthorized access to system resources, user data, or other applications, leading to information disclosure or arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the sandboxed process.

Mitigation

Apple addressed this issue in OS X Yosemite v10.10. Users should upgrade to OS X 10.10 or later to remediate the vulnerability. [1] No workarounds have been disclosed.