CVE-2023-42952 is a vulnerability identified in Apple macOS that allows an application running with root privileges to access private information improperly due to insufficient access control checks. The root cause lies in inadequate enforcement of privilege boundaries, enabling such privileged apps to bypass intended data access restrictions. This vulnerability affects multiple macOS versions, including Ventura, Sonoma, and Monterey, and also impacts iOS and iPadOS versions 17.1 and later. Apple addressed the issue by improving the access validation mechanisms in these updates. The Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) associated with this vulnerability is CWE-269, which relates to improper privilege management. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 4.4 (medium severity), with the vector indicating local attack vector (AV:L), low attack complexity (AC:L), high privileges required (PR:H), no user interaction (UI:N), unchanged scope (S:U), high confidentiality impact (C:H), no integrity impact (I:N), and no availability impact (A:N). Exploitation requires that the attacker already has root-level access on the system, which limits the attack surface but still poses a risk if malicious or compromised root-level apps exist. No public exploits have been reported, suggesting limited active exploitation. The vulnerability primarily threatens confidentiality by potentially exposing sensitive private information to unauthorized root-level applications.

For European organizations, the primary impact of CVE-2023-42952 is the potential unauthorized disclosure of sensitive or private information on macOS systems where an app with root privileges is present. Although exploitation requires root access, which is typically tightly controlled, the vulnerability could be leveraged by insider threats, malicious software that has escalated privileges, or attackers who have already compromised the system at a high level. This could lead to leakage of confidential corporate data, intellectual property, or personal information, undermining privacy and compliance with regulations such as GDPR. The vulnerability does not affect system integrity or availability, so it is less likely to cause service disruption. However, the confidentiality breach risk is significant in environments where sensitive data is handled on macOS devices. Organizations relying on macOS for critical operations, development, or endpoint usage should consider this vulnerability a moderate risk until patched.

1. Apply the latest Apple security updates immediately, specifically macOS Ventura 13.6.3, Sonoma 14.1, Monterey 12.7.1, iOS 17.1, and iPadOS 17.1 or later, to ensure the vulnerability is patched. 2. Restrict the installation and execution of applications with root privileges to only trusted and verified software. Implement strict application whitelisting and code signing policies. 3. Monitor and audit root-level processes and applications regularly to detect any unauthorized or suspicious activity. 4. Employ endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions capable of identifying privilege escalation attempts or anomalous access patterns. 5. Enforce the principle of least privilege, minimizing the number of applications and users with root access on macOS systems. 6. Educate system administrators and users about the risks of running untrusted software with elevated privileges. 7. Implement network segmentation and data access controls to limit the exposure of sensitive information even if root-level compromise occurs. 8. Maintain comprehensive backup and incident response plans to quickly recover from potential breaches involving privileged accounts.