CVE-2023-41980 in macOS
Summary
by MITRE • 09/27/2023
A permissions issue was addressed with additional restrictions. This issue is fixed in iOS 17 and iPadOS 17, macOS Sonoma 14. An app may be able to bypass Privacy preferences.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/21/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-41980 represents a significant permissions flaw within Apple's operating systems that could potentially allow malicious applications to circumvent established privacy controls. This issue affects iOS 17 and iPadOS 17, as well as macOS Sonoma 14, indicating a widespread impact across Apple's ecosystem. The core problem lies in insufficient enforcement of privacy restrictions that should normally prevent applications from accessing user data without proper authorization. This type of vulnerability directly undermines the fundamental security model that Apple has implemented to protect user privacy and data.
The technical nature of this permissions issue stems from inadequate validation mechanisms that should normally enforce strict boundaries between applications and sensitive user information. When privacy preferences are bypassed, applications can potentially access data that they should not have been granted access to, creating a vector for unauthorized data collection and potential misuse. This flaw operates at the system level where application sandboxing mechanisms fail to properly enforce access controls, allowing for privilege escalation or unauthorized data access that violates standard security practices. The vulnerability essentially creates a loophole in the operating system's permission model that could be exploited by both malicious actors and potentially legitimate applications that abuse their privileges.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data access violations as it represents a fundamental breakdown in the trust model that users place in their operating systems. Attackers could exploit this weakness to gather sensitive information, monitor user activities, or perform data exfiltration without detection. The implications are particularly concerning given that the affected systems include the latest versions of iOS and macOS, meaning that users who have updated to these versions may still be vulnerable. This type of issue can enable persistent surveillance capabilities and data collection that violates user expectations of privacy protection, potentially leading to identity theft, financial fraud, or other malicious activities that leverage the unauthorized access to personal information.
Security professionals should immediately implement mitigation strategies that include thorough application vetting processes and monitoring for suspicious permission requests. Organizations should review their application deployment policies to ensure that only trusted applications are installed on affected systems, while also implementing network monitoring to detect potential unauthorized data access patterns. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284 which addresses improper access control, and can be mapped to ATT&CK technique T1566 which covers social engineering tactics that could be employed to exploit such permission weaknesses. Users should be advised to avoid installing untrusted applications and to maintain regular system updates to ensure they receive the latest security patches that address this and similar vulnerabilities. The fix implemented by Apple in iOS 17 and macOS Sonoma 14 addresses the core issue by strengthening the enforcement of privacy preferences and ensuring that applications cannot bypass the established permission controls that protect user data.