CVE-2024-40837 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.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/24/2024
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 that fail to properly enforce security boundaries between applications and sensitive user information. According to industry standards, this type of vulnerability aligns with CWE-284, which specifically addresses improper access control mechanisms that permit unauthorized access to resources. The flaw exists at the operating system level where application sandboxing or permission enforcement mechanisms have been bypassed, creating a pathway for malicious or poorly designed applications to extract confidential user data.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves a breakdown in the macOS security model where applications can circumvent normal access restrictions to user files, preferences, or system information. This occurs when the system fails to properly validate application permissions or when access control lists do not adequately restrict data access based on application context or user privileges. The operational impact extends beyond simple data exposure as it potentially enables more sophisticated attacks including credential theft, personal information harvesting, or system reconnaissance activities. Attackers could leverage this weakness to gather sensitive information such as documents, system configurations, or user preferences that should remain protected by the operating system's security framework.
The fix implemented in macOS Sequoia 15 addresses this issue through enhanced permission controls and strengthened access validation mechanisms. This update likely introduces additional checks within the system's security architecture that ensure applications cannot access protected resources without proper authorization tokens or user consent. Organizations should prioritize deployment of this update as the vulnerability creates a persistent risk for user data integrity and confidentiality. The remediation aligns with ATT&CK technique T1074 which covers data staging and collection activities that adversaries may use to gather sensitive information from compromised systems.
Security professionals should monitor for potential exploitation attempts targeting this vulnerability and implement additional layers of protection including network monitoring, application whitelisting, and regular security assessments. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of maintaining up-to-date operating system versions and highlights the need for comprehensive security testing of applications within sandboxed environments. Organizations should also consider implementing additional data loss prevention measures and user education programs to reduce the risk of exploitation. This issue serves as a reminder of the critical importance of proper access control implementation and the potential consequences when security boundaries are improperly enforced in operating system architectures.