CVE-2023-42959 in macOS
Summary
by MITRE • 07/30/2024
A race condition was addressed with improved state handling. This issue is fixed in macOS Sonoma 14. An app may be able to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/10/2024
This vulnerability represents a critical race condition flaw in macOS Sonoma 14 that could potentially allow an application to execute arbitrary code with kernel-level privileges. The issue stems from inadequate state handling mechanisms within the operating system's kernel, creating a temporal window where malicious code can exploit the system's inconsistent state during concurrent operations. The race condition occurs when multiple processes or threads attempt to access shared resources simultaneously, leading to unpredictable behavior that adversaries can manipulate for privilege escalation. This type of vulnerability falls under the CWE-362 category of "Concurrent Execution using Shared Resource with Unprotected Race Condition" and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1068 which covers "Local Privilege Escalation" through race conditions and similar timing-based exploits. The flaw represents a fundamental security weakness in the kernel's resource management system where proper synchronization mechanisms were insufficient to prevent concurrent access violations. Attackers could potentially leverage this condition to gain unauthorized access to kernel memory spaces, execute malicious payloads with elevated privileges, and ultimately compromise the entire system. The vulnerability demonstrates how seemingly minor state handling issues in kernel code can result in catastrophic security implications, as the kernel represents the most privileged execution environment within the operating system. This type of flaw is particularly dangerous because it operates at the core of system security, bypassing traditional user-space protections and access controls. The race condition likely manifests when legitimate system processes interact with shared kernel data structures, creating opportunities for malicious applications to time their operations precisely to exploit the window of vulnerability. The fix implemented in macOS Sonoma 14 addresses this by strengthening the state management protocols and introducing more robust synchronization mechanisms to prevent concurrent access violations. Organizations should prioritize immediate deployment of the macOS Sonoma 14 update to protect against potential exploitation attempts, as this vulnerability could enable attackers to establish persistent kernel-level footholds. The remediation approach involves enhancing memory management protocols and ensuring proper locking mechanisms are in place during critical kernel operations, preventing the temporal inconsistencies that previously enabled privilege escalation attacks. This vulnerability highlights the importance of rigorous testing for race conditions in kernel-level code and demonstrates how even minor implementation flaws can result in severe security consequences. Security teams should monitor for any exploitation attempts targeting this specific vulnerability while ensuring all systems are updated to the patched version to maintain operational security.