CVE-2022-26693 in macOS
Summary
by MITRE • 05/26/2022
This issue was addressed with improved checks. This issue is fixed in macOS Monterey 12.4. A plug-in may be able to inherit the application's permissions and access user data.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/28/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-26693 represents a privilege escalation risk within Apple's macOS operating system that was specifically addressed in the Monterey 12.4 update. This issue stems from inadequate permission handling mechanisms within the system's plugin architecture, creating a potential pathway for malicious software to exploit the trust relationships between applications and their associated plugins. The flaw allows a malicious plugin to inherit the permissions of the parent application, effectively bypassing normal access controls that should restrict data access based on application-specific privileges. This represents a significant security concern as it undermines the fundamental principle of least privilege that governs modern operating system security models.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the improper inheritance of application permissions during plugin execution, where the plugin component can leverage the parent application's elevated privileges to access user data that would normally be restricted. This occurs through the plugin loading mechanism where security contexts are not properly isolated between the host application and its loaded plugins. The vulnerability falls under the category of privilege escalation attacks and aligns with CWE-276, which addresses improper permissions and access control mechanisms within software systems. The flaw specifically impacts the application sandboxing model that macOS employs to protect user data and system integrity.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates a substantial risk for end users as it allows attackers to potentially access sensitive user information through seemingly benign plugin components. The impact extends beyond simple data access to include potential system compromise, as plugins often have access to system resources and user data that could be leveraged for further exploitation. Attackers could potentially craft malicious plugins that, when loaded by legitimate applications, would gain access to user files, system information, and potentially other applications' data. This vulnerability directly impacts the security posture of macOS systems and represents a failure in the application permission model that should prevent such cross-application privilege escalation.
The mitigation for this vulnerability requires immediate installation of macOS Monterey 12.4 or later versions, which contain the necessary security patches to address the improper permission inheritance mechanism. System administrators should ensure all endpoints are updated promptly to prevent exploitation of this vulnerability. Additionally, users should be educated about the risks of installing third-party plugins from untrusted sources, as the vulnerability can be exploited through malicious plugin components. The fix implemented by Apple likely involves enhanced permission isolation mechanisms and stricter validation of plugin security contexts during application loading. Organizations should also implement monitoring for suspicious plugin behavior and consider implementing additional security controls such as application whitelisting to further reduce the attack surface. This vulnerability demonstrates the importance of maintaining up-to-date operating systems and the critical nature of plugin security in modern computing environments, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for execution through plugins and T1068 for privilege escalation through application flaws.