CVE-2024-27849 in macOS
Summary
by MITRE • 10/28/2024
A privacy issue was addressed with improved private data redaction for log entries. This issue is fixed in macOS Sequoia 15. An app may be able to read sensitive location information.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/28/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-27849 represents a privacy flaw in macOS Sequoia 15 that allows applications to potentially access sensitive location data through improperly redacted log entries. This issue falls under the category of insufficient data protection mechanisms and specifically relates to the handling of private information within system logs. The vulnerability demonstrates a failure in the proper sanitization of location data that should have been removed or obscured during log generation processes. According to CWE-200, this represents a weakness where information is disclosed to unauthorized actors, while the ATT&CK framework categorizes this under T1531 for "Establishment of Command and Control Channels" when such data is used for malicious purposes. The improper redaction of sensitive location information in log files creates an attack surface where malicious applications could exploit this gap to extract location data that should have been protected.
The technical implementation flaw stems from inadequate data sanitization procedures within the macOS logging infrastructure. When applications generate log entries containing location information, the system should automatically redact or mask this sensitive data to prevent unauthorized access. However, the vulnerability indicates that this redaction process was not functioning properly, allowing location data to remain accessible within log files. This issue particularly affects applications that may have elevated privileges or those that can access system logs, creating potential pathways for data exfiltration. The flaw likely exists in the log processing pipeline where location coordinates, timestamps, and other geolocation metadata were not properly stripped before being written to log storage. This type of vulnerability represents a breakdown in the principle of least privilege and data minimization, where sensitive information should never be exposed beyond its required scope.
The operational impact of CVE-2024-27849 extends beyond simple privacy concerns to potentially enable location-based tracking and surveillance capabilities. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability to monitor user movements, identify patterns in daily routines, and potentially correlate location data with other compromised information. The vulnerability affects all applications running on macOS Sequoia 15 systems where logging mechanisms are in place, creating a broad attack surface that could be exploited by both malicious applications and sophisticated threat actors. This issue particularly impacts users who rely on location services for personal privacy and could enable adversaries to build detailed profiles of user behaviors and preferences. The potential for long-term tracking and behavioral analysis makes this vulnerability particularly concerning from a privacy perspective, as it could be used to identify sensitive locations such as homes, workplaces, or other personal sites.
Organizations and individual users should immediately update to macOS Sequoia 15 to address this vulnerability, as the fix implements improved private data redaction mechanisms for log entries. System administrators should conduct comprehensive audits of existing log files to identify any potential exposure of sensitive location data that may have occurred prior to the patch deployment. The mitigation strategy should include implementing additional monitoring for unauthorized access to system logs and establishing stricter access controls for log files containing sensitive information. Security teams should also consider implementing network-based monitoring to detect unusual data access patterns that could indicate exploitation attempts. Organizations should review their application deployment processes to ensure that proper data sanitization procedures are in place for all applications that may generate logs containing location information. The fix addresses the root cause by implementing more robust redaction algorithms that automatically identify and obscure location data within log entries before storage, preventing unauthorized access through log file analysis.