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Submitted by: Bill Hickey
NCVA List Master

NRT-0190 MAC O/S Open to Attack:

Symantec Corporation said hackers can attack Apple's Mac OS/X by exploiting an unpatched vulnerability in the open-source Samba file- and print-sharing software that's included with the operating system. Samba, which is enabled when Mac users turn on the Windows sharing feature that allows Microsoft Corp. customers to access files and printers on a Mac network, was peged with multiple heap-based buffoer overflow bugs earlier this month. Penetration test suppliers Immunity Inc. have released exploits and the Metasploit Project that target the vulnerabilities on several Linux distributions. Symantec said, "The DeepSight Threat Analyst Team successfully exploited the heap corruption vulnerability on a fully patched Mac OS/X 10.4.9 system running the default Samba 3.0.10 application." The exploitation differs from what has been demonstrated in public exploits, but the firm feels it is likely that other researchers could be capable of quickly overcoming the technical quirks associated with the platform. Although Mac OS/X doesn't turn on Samba by default, Macs that share a network with Windows PCs could be at risk. Because Apple has not released a Samba update since 2005, users must upgrade to the latest, and secure version, themselves. Symantec advises users to download and install the latest version of Samba, version 3.0.25, from the official web site.

(Computerworld 29MAY07)

Last Modified: Tuesday, 05-Jun-2007 21:55:59 EDT