CVE-2024-23253 is a permissions vulnerability in Apple macOS that allows an application to bypass normal access controls and read the user's Photos Library without explicit consent. The root cause is a permissions issue categorized under CWE-269 (Improper Privilege Management), where the system failed to enforce adequate restrictions on app access to sensitive user data. This vulnerability affects macOS versions prior to 14.4, where the Photos Library could be accessed by unauthorized apps without requiring user interaction or elevated privileges. The vulnerability has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5, reflecting its network attack vector (AV:N), low attack complexity (AC:L), no privileges required (PR:N), no user interaction (UI:N), unchanged scope (S:U), high confidentiality impact (C:H), and no impact on integrity or availability (I:N/A:N). Apple addressed the issue by implementing additional restrictions in macOS Sonoma 14.4, which enforces stricter permission checks for apps attempting to access the Photos Library. No public exploits or active exploitation have been reported to date, but the vulnerability represents a significant privacy risk as unauthorized apps could silently access and exfiltrate personal photos. This flaw is particularly concerning for environments where sensitive or regulated data is stored on macOS devices, including corporate and governmental organizations.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a significant risk to user privacy and data confidentiality. Unauthorized access to the Photos Library could lead to leakage of sensitive personal or corporate images, potentially exposing confidential information or personally identifiable information (PII). This could result in reputational damage, regulatory penalties under GDPR, and loss of trust from customers and employees. Organizations with macOS endpoints, especially those in sectors such as finance, healthcare, legal, and government, are at heightened risk due to the sensitivity of the data potentially exposed. The vulnerability does not affect system integrity or availability but compromises confidentiality, which is critical under European data protection laws. The ease of exploitation without user interaction or privileges increases the threat level, making it feasible for malicious actors to deploy malware or rogue apps that silently harvest photos. This could also facilitate further social engineering or targeted attacks based on the stolen imagery. The lack of known exploits in the wild currently reduces immediate risk but does not eliminate the potential for future attacks.

The primary mitigation is to update all macOS devices to version Sonoma 14.4 or later, where the vulnerability is fixed with enhanced permission restrictions. Organizations should enforce strict application control policies, such as using Apple’s Endpoint Security framework or Mobile Device Management (MDM) solutions, to restrict installation of untrusted or unsigned apps. Regularly auditing app permissions and monitoring for unusual access to the Photos Library can help detect exploitation attempts. Employing endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools that can flag anomalous file access patterns is recommended. User education about the risks of installing unauthorized applications and phishing attacks that could deliver malicious apps is also important. For highly sensitive environments, consider disabling or limiting access to the Photos Library on corporate devices where feasible. Finally, organizations should maintain up-to-date backups and incident response plans to quickly address any data breaches stemming from this vulnerability.