CVE-2024-40846 in macOS
Summary
by MITRE • 09/17/2024
The issue was addressed with improved memory handling. This issue is fixed in macOS Sequoia 15, macOS Sonoma 14.7. Processing a maliciously crafted video file may lead to unexpected app termination.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/04/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-40846 represents a memory handling issue within Apple's macOS operating system that manifests when processing specially crafted video files. This flaw exists in the media processing components responsible for handling multimedia content and demonstrates how improper memory management can lead to application instability. The vulnerability was specifically addressed in macOS Sequoia 15 and macOS Sonoma 14.7 releases, indicating that older versions of the operating system remain susceptible to exploitation. From a cybersecurity perspective, this issue falls under the category of memory corruption vulnerabilities that can potentially be leveraged for more serious attacks if not properly mitigated.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from inadequate memory handling mechanisms within the video processing subsystem of macOS. When a maliciously crafted video file is processed by an application, the improper memory management routines can cause the application to crash or terminate unexpectedly. This behavior aligns with common patterns found in buffer overflow or memory corruption vulnerabilities where malformed input data triggers unexpected program execution paths. The issue demonstrates how multimedia processing libraries and frameworks can contain memory handling flaws that become exploitable when encountering specially constructed input files. The vulnerability's classification aligns with CWE-129, which covers improper validation of array indices, and CWE-787, which addresses out-of-bounds write operations that can occur during memory handling.
The operational impact of CVE-2024-40846 extends beyond simple application crashes to potentially disrupt user workflows and create opportunities for more sophisticated attacks. While the immediate effect is unexpected application termination, this vulnerability could serve as a stepping stone for attackers seeking to establish persistent access or escalate privileges. The vulnerability's exploitation requires user interaction through the processing of malicious media files, making it a type of user-initiated attack that can be delivered via email attachments, malicious websites, or compromised media content. From an attacker's perspective, this vulnerability could be combined with other techniques to create more effective attack vectors, particularly in targeted campaigns where the attacker can influence user behavior to trigger the malicious media processing.
Organizations and individual users should prioritize updating to the patched versions of macOS that address this vulnerability, specifically macOS Sequoia 15 and macOS Sonoma 14.7. The mitigation strategy should include comprehensive patch management procedures to ensure all systems are updated promptly. Additionally, security teams should implement monitoring for suspicious media file handling activities and consider network-based detection mechanisms that can identify potentially malicious video content. The vulnerability's characteristics suggest that it may be detected through behavioral analysis of application crashes and memory access patterns, making it suitable for integration into existing security monitoring frameworks. Security professionals should also consider implementing application whitelisting policies that restrict the execution of untrusted media processing applications, as recommended by the ATT&CK framework's application whitelisting techniques. The remediation approach should also include user education about avoiding suspicious media content and understanding the risks associated with processing untrusted multimedia files.