CVE-2009-0013: dscl in DS Tools in Apple Mac OS X 10.4.11 and 10.5.6 requires that passwords must be provided as command l...

Security readout for executives and security teams

This is an old Apple Mac OS X issue where dscl required passwords on the command line. Other local users could view process information and potentially see those passwords, creating a path to privilege gain on affected systems. Exposure is most likely on legacy Mac OS X 10.4.11 or 10.5.6 systems, especially shared or multi-user hosts where dscl is used for account or directory administration. Prioritize if any legacy Mac OS X systems remain in production or shared environments. For modern fleets, the main action is confirming no unsupported affected systems are still operating. Mitigation focus: Check Apple Security Update 2009-001 and HT3438 guidance for the affected Mac OS X versions.; Upgrade or retire Mac OS X 10.4.11 and 10.5.6 systems where possible.; Avoid running administrative tools that expose passwords in command-line arguments on shared systems..

Prepared

Jun 28, 2026, 11:23 UTC (UTC+00:00)

Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.