SafeUM
Home Blog Services Download Help About Recharge

Axarhöfði 14, 110 Reykjavik, Iceland

Iceland - 2015
SafeUM
Blog
Services
Download
Help
About
Recharge
Menu
Archive
TOP Security!
20 Apr 2016

Outdated Git version in OS X puts developers at risk

The OS X command line developer tools include an old version of the Git source code management system that exposes Mac users to remote code execution attacks.

The Git client allows developers to interact with source code repositories. It is not installed by default on Mac OS X, but it is included in the Command Line Tools package for Xcode, Apple’s integrated development environment (IDE).

Software developers who create applications for OS X or iOS are likely to use Xcode and to have Apple’s Command Line Tools package installed on their Macs. The latest version of this package includes Git version 2.6.4, released in December. The problem is that Git 2.6.4 has two serious vulnerabilities that were publicly disclosed last month. The flaws, tracked as CVE-2016-2315 and CVE-2016-2324, affect both client and server deployments on Git. On the client side, they could lead to remote code execution when cloning a repository with a large filename or a large number of nested trees.

The vulnerabilities were fixed in Git 2.7.4, released on March 17, but one month later Apple still hasn’t released an update to its Command Line Tools package. Even worse, since the Git binary is installed as a system-level program, on OS X El Capitan (10.11) users can’t easily replace or update it themselves, according to systems administration expert Rachel Kroll. That’s because Apple’s latest OS X version includes System Integrity Protection (SIP), a mechanism that prevents modifying programs in certain protected directories like /usr and /bin, even with root privileges.

“Maybe you want to be clever and protect your users by disabling it until you can figure something else out,” Kroll said in a blog post. “Well, sorry. You also can’t ‘chmod -x’ to at least keep it from being used. It will also fail.” Fortunately, there is a workaround, because /usr/bin/git is just a clever link to /Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/usr/bin, which can be modified. Running “chmod -x” on the latter binary will remove its execution privileges and ensure that no users or programs accidentally run it.

Then you have to wait until Apple releases a patched version as part of a future Command Line Tools package. However, Git is important for development tools and preventing its use could affect workflows. Apple did not immediately respond to an inquiry about its plans of patching the Git binary that the company distributes. “If you rely on machines like this, I am truly sorry,” Kroll said.

Tags:
OS X information leaks
Source:
PCWorld
2065
Other NEWS
3 Jul 2020 safeum news imgage An encrypted messaging service has been infiltrated by police
4 May 2020 safeum news imgage Two-Factor Authentication ​What Is It and Why You Should Use It
12 Dec 2019 safeum news imgage Encryption is under threat - this is how it affects you
4 Nov 2019 safeum news imgage Should Big Decisions Be Based on Data or Your Intuition?
7 Jun 2018 safeum news imgage VPNFilter malware infecting 500,000 devices is worse than we thought
4 Jun 2018 safeum news imgage Hackers target Booking.com in criminal bid to steal hundreds of thousands from customers
1 Jun 2018 safeum news imgage Operator of World's Top Internet Hub Sues German Spy Agency
30 May 2018 safeum news imgage US says North Korea behind malware attacks
29 May 2018 safeum news imgage Facebook and Google targeted as first GDPR complaints filed
25 May 2018 safeum news imgage A new reason to not buy these cheap Android devices
24 May 2018 safeum news imgage Flaws in smart pet devices, apps could come back to bite owners
23 May 2018 safeum news imgage Google sued for 'clandestine tracking' of 4.4m UK iPhone users' browsing data
21 May 2018 safeum news imgage LocationSmart reportedly leaked phone location data onto the web
18 May 2018 safeum news imgage The SEC created its own scammy ICO to teach investors a lesson
17 May 2018 safeum news imgage Thieves suck millions out of Mexican banks in transfer heist
All news
SafeUM
Confidential Terms of Use Our technologies Company
Follow us
Download
SafeUM © Safe Universal Messenger

Axarhöfði 14,
110 Reykjavik, Iceland

Iceland - 2015