CVE-2024-27858 in macOS
Summary
by MITRE • 09/17/2024
A permissions issue was addressed with additional restrictions. This issue is fixed in macOS Sequoia 15. An app may be able to access protected user data.
If you want to get best quality of vulnerability data, you may have to visit VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/23/2024
This vulnerability represents a critical permissions flaw in macOS Sequoia 15 that allows applications to potentially access protected user data without proper authorization. The issue stems from insufficient access controls and inadequate sandboxing mechanisms that govern how applications interact with sensitive user information. According to industry standards, this vulnerability maps to CWE-284 which describes improper access control scenarios where applications can bypass security restrictions to gain unauthorized access to resources. The flaw exists within the operating system's privilege management framework, creating a pathway for malicious or poorly designed applications to exploit system boundaries and access data they should not be permitted to view.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability demonstrates a breakdown in the operating system's security model where applications can circumvent normal permission checks and access protected user information through flawed access control mechanisms. This issue affects the core security architecture of macOS by weakening the isolation between applications and user data, potentially allowing unauthorized data exposure. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it operates at the system level rather than being application-specific, meaning that multiple applications could potentially exploit this weakness simultaneously. This type of flaw represents a fundamental failure in the principle of least privilege where applications should only access resources necessary for their legitimate operation.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates significant risks for user privacy and data protection across all macOS environments running affected versions. Attackers could potentially develop malicious applications that leverage this permission issue to access sensitive user information including personal files, communications, financial data, and other protected content. The impact extends beyond individual users to enterprise environments where unauthorized access to user data could lead to data breaches, identity theft, and compliance violations. This vulnerability also aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059 which involves executing malicious code through legitimate system processes, and T1070 which covers indicator removal through system file modification. Organizations may face regulatory consequences under standards such as gdpr and hipaa if user data is compromised through such vulnerabilities.
The remediation for this vulnerability requires immediate deployment of macOS Sequoia 15 updates which include enhanced access control restrictions and improved sandboxing mechanisms. System administrators should prioritize patch management to ensure all endpoints receive the security updates. Additional mitigations include implementing application whitelisting policies, monitoring for unauthorized data access attempts, and conducting regular security assessments to identify potential exploitation of similar permission flaws. Organizations should also review their existing security policies and ensure proper user access controls are in place to minimize the potential impact of such vulnerabilities. The fix addresses the root cause by strengthening the operating system's permission model and ensuring that applications cannot access protected resources without explicit authorization.