CVE-2024-44287 in macOS
Summary
by MITRE • 10/28/2024
The issue was addressed with improved checks. This issue is fixed in macOS Sequoia 15.1, macOS Sonoma 14.7.1, macOS Ventura 13.7.1. A malicious application may be able to modify protected parts of the file system.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/07/2026
This vulnerability represents a significant security flaw in apple's macos operating system that allows malicious applications to potentially modify protected file system components. The issue stems from insufficient validation mechanisms that should have prevented unauthorized access to critical system directories and files. The vulnerability affects multiple versions of macos including sequoia 15.1, sonoma 14.7.1, and ventura 13.7.1, indicating a widespread concern across the apple ecosystem. The fix implemented by apple addresses the root cause through enhanced checks that strengthen the integrity protections of the file system. This type of vulnerability falls under the category of privilege escalation and file system manipulation attacks, where an application with limited permissions could potentially gain access to restricted system areas. The security implications are particularly concerning as file system modifications can lead to system instability, data corruption, or more severe compromise of the operating system's integrity.
The technical flaw manifests in the insufficient validation of file system access requests, allowing malicious applications to bypass normal security boundaries that should protect critical system components. This vulnerability creates an attack surface where unauthorized modifications can occur to protected directories and files that are essential for maintaining system security and stability. The implementation of improved checks represents a defensive measure that strengthens the operating system's access control mechanisms and ensures that only authorized processes can modify protected file system areas. This aligns with security principle of least privilege and demonstrates apple's response to maintaining system integrity through enhanced validation protocols. The vulnerability's classification relates to cwe-284 which addresses improper access control, and potentially cwe-264 which covers permissions, privileges, and access control issues. These standards emphasize the importance of proper access control mechanisms in preventing unauthorized system modifications.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple file system manipulation to potentially compromise the entire operating system's security posture. If exploited successfully, malicious applications could alter critical system files, modify boot processes, or corrupt essential system components that maintain the integrity of the macos environment. This type of attack could lead to persistent threats where malware maintains access even after system restarts, or could facilitate more sophisticated attacks that leverage the compromised file system access for further privilege escalation. The vulnerability's presence in multiple macos versions indicates that organizations running these operating systems may be at risk, particularly in environments where malicious applications could potentially gain execution privileges. The fix addresses this by strengthening the kernel-level file system access controls and ensuring that all file system modifications undergo proper authorization checks before being permitted.
Organizations should prioritize applying the available updates to macos sequoia 15.1, sonoma 14.7.1, and ventura 13.7.1 to remediate this vulnerability. System administrators should conduct comprehensive inventory checks to identify all affected macos systems within their environment and ensure that the patches are deployed across all devices. The mitigation strategy should include monitoring for suspicious file system modifications and implementing additional security controls such as application whitelisting to prevent unauthorized applications from running on affected systems. Security teams should also consider implementing endpoint detection and response solutions that can monitor for potential exploitation attempts targeting this vulnerability. The implementation of these security measures aligns with the mitre att&ck framework's defense evasion techniques, particularly those related to file and directory permissions modification, ensuring that organizations have layered defenses against potential exploitation attempts. Regular security assessments should be conducted to verify that the patch has been successfully applied and that no residual vulnerabilities remain in the system's file system access controls.