CVE-2024-7457 in Stash
Summary
by MITRE • 06/11/2025
The ws.stash.app.mac.daemon.helper tool contains a vulnerability caused by an incorrect use of macOS’s authorization model. Instead of validating the client's authorization reference, the helper invokes AuthorizationCopyRights() using its own privileged context (root), effectively authorizing itself rather than the client. As a result, it grants the system.preferences.admin right internally, regardless of the requesting client's privileges. This flawed logic allows unprivileged clients to invoke privileged operations via XPC, including unauthorized changes to system-wide network preferences such as SOCKS, HTTP, and HTTPS proxy settings. The absence of proper code-signing checks further enables arbitrary processes to exploit this flaw, leading to man-in-the-middle (MITM) attacks through traffic redirection.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/11/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-7457 resides within the ws.stash.app.mac.daemon.helper tool, a component that interfaces with macOS's authorization services to manage privileged operations. This flaw represents a critical misimplementation of the authorization framework where the helper tool fails to properly validate client credentials before executing privileged actions. The issue stems from an improper invocation of AuthorizationCopyRights() function which operates within the helper's own privileged context rather than that of the requesting client, creating a fundamental security flaw in the authorization model. This misconfiguration allows the helper to effectively authorize itself rather than the legitimate requesting process, undermining the core security principles of privilege separation and access control.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability manifests through the helper tool's improper handling of authorization references during XPC communication. When a client process attempts to perform privileged operations such as modifying system-wide network preferences, the helper tool should validate whether the client possesses the necessary authorization rights before proceeding. However, due to the flawed implementation, the helper tool bypasses this validation by operating in its own privileged context, thereby granting the system.preferences.admin right regardless of the client's actual privileges. This behavior directly violates the principle of least privilege and creates a pathway for unauthorized privilege escalation through the XPC interface.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple privilege escalation, as it enables attackers to manipulate critical system network settings without proper authentication or authorization. Specifically, unprivileged clients can invoke privileged operations to modify SOCKS, HTTP, and HTTPS proxy settings across the entire system, potentially redirecting network traffic through malicious intermediaries. This capability directly enables man-in-the-middle attacks where attackers can intercept and modify network communications, making the system vulnerable to data theft, session hijacking, and other sophisticated cyber attacks. The vulnerability affects the broader system security posture by undermining the integrity of network configuration management and potentially compromising sensitive data transmission.
The absence of proper code-signing validation within the helper tool's implementation further compounds the severity of this vulnerability, as it allows arbitrary processes to exploit the flaw without requiring legitimate code signatures. This lack of code integrity checks removes a critical security layer that would normally prevent unauthorized processes from communicating with privileged helper tools. Attackers can simply craft malicious processes that invoke the vulnerable XPC interface, bypassing traditional security mechanisms such as Gatekeeper and code signing enforcement. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-284 Access Control Issues and represents a specific implementation of improper privilege management that can be categorized under ATT&CK technique T1548.1 (Abuse Elevation Control Mechanism) and T1071.004 (Application Layer Protocol: DNS) when used for traffic redirection attacks.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2024-7457 should focus on implementing proper authorization reference validation within the helper tool's XPC communication protocol. The most effective approach involves modifying the helper tool to validate client authorization references before invoking AuthorizationCopyRights() and ensuring that privilege escalation only occurs when legitimate client credentials are presented. Additionally, implementing proper code-signing verification mechanisms will prevent unauthorized processes from establishing communication with the vulnerable helper tool. Organizations should also consider implementing network monitoring to detect suspicious proxy configuration changes and establish strict code-signing policies for all system helper tools. The fix should align with security best practices for macOS authorization services and ensure that privilege escalation requires explicit client authentication rather than implicit trust in the helper tool's own privileged context.