CVE-2024-40797 in macOS
Summary
by MITRE • 09/17/2024
This issue was addressed through improved state management. This issue is fixed in macOS Sequoia 15, macOS Sonoma 14.7, macOS Ventura 13.7. Visiting a malicious website may lead to user interface spoofing.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/04/2026
This vulnerability represents a user interface spoofing issue that emerged in Apple's macOS operating system across multiple versions including Sequoia 15, Sonoma 14.7, and Ventura 13.7. The flaw manifested when users visited malicious websites that could manipulate the graphical user interface elements, potentially deceiving users into believing they were interacting with legitimate system components or applications. Such vulnerabilities fall under the broader category of deceptive UI attacks that exploit the trust users place in familiar interface patterns and system behaviors. The security implications extend beyond simple deception as they could enable more sophisticated attacks where malicious actors attempt to trick users into performing actions that compromise their system security or lead them to disclose sensitive information.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability stems from inadequate state management within the macOS web rendering and interface components. When processing content from untrusted websites, the system failed to properly validate or isolate the visual elements that could influence user perception and interaction. This state management deficiency allowed malicious web content to manipulate interface properties, potentially altering the appearance or behavior of system dialogs, notifications, or application windows to appear legitimate while actually executing malicious operations. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-691, which addresses insufficient control flow management, particularly in scenarios where untrusted input can influence program execution paths or interface states. The flaw demonstrates how improper handling of dynamic content in web contexts can lead to interface-level security issues that bypass traditional application security controls.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple user deception to potentially enable more serious security incidents including credential theft, unauthorized transactions, or system compromise through social engineering attacks. Attackers could craft malicious websites that appear to be legitimate system alerts or application dialogs, tricking users into entering passwords, personal information, or performing actions they would not normally consent to. This type of attack vector represents a significant concern in the context of the ATT&CK framework under the T1566 technique category, specifically targeting user execution through social engineering and deceptive interface manipulation. The vulnerability creates an attack surface that could be exploited in conjunction with other techniques, particularly those involving phishing or drive-by download scenarios where the initial compromise occurs through web browsing activities.
The remediation approach implemented by Apple focused on enhancing state management mechanisms within the operating system's interface rendering components. This involved strengthening the validation processes for interface elements generated from web content, implementing stricter isolation between system interface components and user-provided content, and improving the overall robustness of state transitions in the graphical user interface subsystem. The fix addresses the fundamental issue of insufficient input validation and state control that allowed malicious websites to manipulate user interface elements. Organizations should prioritize updating to the patched versions of macOS, particularly given that the vulnerability could be exploited through simple web browsing activities without requiring any additional user interaction beyond visiting a compromised website. The mitigation strategy emphasizes the importance of maintaining current system updates and implementing comprehensive security awareness training to help users recognize potentially deceptive interface elements that may indicate security incidents.