/sbin/ping -G sweepmax has no bounds check on macOS: deterministic BSS out-of-bounds write, confirmed by Apple
/sbin/ping on macOS contains a vulnerability in the -G sweepmax option where there is no bounds checking, leading to a deterministic out-of-bounds write in the BSS segment. This issue has been confirmed by Apple but no patch or remediation details are provided in the available information.
AI Analysis
Technical Summary
The macOS /sbin/ping utility's -G sweepmax parameter lacks proper bounds checking, resulting in a deterministic out-of-bounds write to the BSS memory segment. This vulnerability was confirmed by Apple and is sourced from the Apple open-source network commands repository. No affected versions or patch information are provided, and there is no indication of known exploits in the wild.
Potential Impact
The out-of-bounds write could potentially lead to memory corruption, which might be leveraged for denial of service or other unintended behavior. However, without further details or known exploits, the exact impact remains limited to potential memory safety issues.
Mitigation Recommendations
Patch status is not yet confirmed — check the vendor advisory for current remediation guidance. Until an official fix is released, avoid using the -G sweepmax option in /sbin/ping on macOS to mitigate risk.
/sbin/ping -G sweepmax has no bounds check on macOS: deterministic BSS out-of-bounds write, confirmed by Apple
Description
/sbin/ping on macOS contains a vulnerability in the -G sweepmax option where there is no bounds checking, leading to a deterministic out-of-bounds write in the BSS segment. This issue has been confirmed by Apple but no patch or remediation details are provided in the available information.
AI-Powered Analysis
Machine-generated threat intelligence
Technical Analysis
The macOS /sbin/ping utility's -G sweepmax parameter lacks proper bounds checking, resulting in a deterministic out-of-bounds write to the BSS memory segment. This vulnerability was confirmed by Apple and is sourced from the Apple open-source network commands repository. No affected versions or patch information are provided, and there is no indication of known exploits in the wild.
Potential Impact
The out-of-bounds write could potentially lead to memory corruption, which might be leveraged for denial of service or other unintended behavior. However, without further details or known exploits, the exact impact remains limited to potential memory safety issues.
Mitigation Recommendations
Patch status is not yet confirmed — check the vendor advisory for current remediation guidance. Until an official fix is released, avoid using the -G sweepmax option in /sbin/ping on macOS to mitigate risk.
Technical Details
- Source Type
- Subreddit
- netsec
- Reddit Score
- 0
- Discussion Level
- minimal
- Content Source
- reddit_link_post
- Domain
- null
- Newsworthiness Assessment
- {"score":32,"reasons":["external_link","established_author"],"isNewsworthy":true,"foundNewsworthy":[],"foundNonNewsworthy":[]}
- Has External Source
- true
- Trusted Domain
- false
Threat ID: 6a0cb742ba1db47362cb3df8
Added to database: 5/19/2026, 7:17:22 PM
Last enriched: 5/19/2026, 7:17:34 PM
Last updated: 5/20/2026, 8:36:31 AM
Views: 9
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