CVE-2024-54471 in macOS
Summary
by MITRE • 12/12/2024
This issue was addressed with additional entitlement 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 leak a user's credentials.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/07/2026
This vulnerability represents a critical authorization flaw in apple's operating system that undermines the security of user authentication mechanisms. The issue stems from insufficient entitlement validation within the system's access control framework, allowing malicious applications to potentially exploit legitimate system privileges to access sensitive user credentials. The vulnerability affects multiple versions of macos including sequoia 15.1, sonoma 14.7.1, and ventura 13.7.1, indicating a widespread impact across the apple ecosystem. The flaw specifically relates to how the system validates application permissions when accessing credential storage mechanisms, creating a potential attack vector for credential theft.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves a weakness in the entitlement checking process that governs how applications interact with system-level credential management services. When an application attempts to access user credentials, the system should verify that the requesting application has proper authorization through its entitlements. However, the flaw allows for bypassing these checks through manipulation of application permissions or exploitation of timing vulnerabilities in the authorization flow. This weakness aligns with common software security principles where insufficient input validation and privilege checking create opportunities for unauthorized access to protected resources. The issue demonstrates a failure in the principle of least privilege enforcement, where applications may gain access to credential data beyond their legitimate operational requirements.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple credential theft to potentially compromise entire user authentication ecosystems. Attackers could leverage this flaw to extract passwords, tokens, and other authentication credentials stored within the system, leading to unauthorized access to user accounts across various services. The implications are particularly severe given that many users rely on single sign-on mechanisms and credential managers that store sensitive information within the macos environment. This vulnerability creates a persistent threat vector that could be exploited by malware or malicious applications that have gained initial access to a user's system through other attack vectors. The potential for lateral movement within network environments increases significantly when user credentials can be extracted through this authorization bypass.
The remediation for this vulnerability involves implementing additional entitlement validation checks that properly enforce application permissions when accessing credential storage services. Apple's patch addresses the issue by strengthening the authorization framework to ensure that all credential access requests undergo proper entitlement verification before granting access. Security professionals should prioritize deployment of these updates across all affected macos versions to prevent exploitation. Organizations should also implement additional monitoring for suspicious credential access patterns and maintain strict application control policies to limit the potential impact of similar vulnerabilities. The fix demonstrates the importance of continuous security auditing and the need for robust entitlement management systems. This vulnerability highlights the critical nature of access control mechanisms in preventing unauthorized data access and aligns with common security framework principles outlined in standards such as cwe 284 for improper access control and attack techniques related to credential theft in the mitre att&ck framework.