CVE-2024-23253: An app may be able to access a user's Photos Library in Apple macOS
CVE-2024-23253 is a permissions vulnerability in Apple macOS Sonoma that could allow an app to access a user's Photos Library without proper authorization. This issue was addressed by Apple with additional restrictions in macOS Sonoma 14. 4, released on March 7, 2024. The vulnerability has a CVSS score of 7. 5, indicating a high severity level. The flaw relates to improper permission handling that could expose sensitive user photo data to unauthorized applications. Apple’s official advisory confirms that the issue is fixed in the latest update and recommends applying macOS Sonoma 14. 4 to mitigate the risk.
AI Analysis
Technical Summary
CVE-2024-23253 is a high-severity permissions vulnerability affecting Apple macOS Sonoma. It allows an application to potentially access a user's Photos Library without appropriate permissions due to insufficient restrictions. Apple addressed this issue by implementing additional permission restrictions in macOS Sonoma 14.4. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-269 (Improper Privilege Management) and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.5 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N), indicating it can be exploited remotely without user interaction and results in high confidentiality impact. The vendor advisory explicitly states the issue is fixed in macOS Sonoma 14.4, released March 7, 2024.
Potential Impact
An unprivileged app could access the user's Photos Library, potentially exposing sensitive personal images and data without user consent. The confidentiality of user data is impacted, but there is no indication of integrity or availability impact. No known exploits in the wild have been reported at this time.
Mitigation Recommendations
Apply the official update macOS Sonoma 14.4 or later, which includes the fix for this vulnerability by adding additional permission restrictions. No further action is required once the system is updated. Users and administrators should ensure their systems are running the patched version to prevent exploitation.
CVE-2024-23253: An app may be able to access a user's Photos Library in Apple macOS
Description
CVE-2024-23253 is a permissions vulnerability in Apple macOS Sonoma that could allow an app to access a user's Photos Library without proper authorization. This issue was addressed by Apple with additional restrictions in macOS Sonoma 14. 4, released on March 7, 2024. The vulnerability has a CVSS score of 7. 5, indicating a high severity level. The flaw relates to improper permission handling that could expose sensitive user photo data to unauthorized applications. Apple’s official advisory confirms that the issue is fixed in the latest update and recommends applying macOS Sonoma 14. 4 to mitigate the risk.
AI-Powered Analysis
Machine-generated threat intelligence
Technical Analysis
CVE-2024-23253 is a high-severity permissions vulnerability affecting Apple macOS Sonoma. It allows an application to potentially access a user's Photos Library without appropriate permissions due to insufficient restrictions. Apple addressed this issue by implementing additional permission restrictions in macOS Sonoma 14.4. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-269 (Improper Privilege Management) and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.5 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N), indicating it can be exploited remotely without user interaction and results in high confidentiality impact. The vendor advisory explicitly states the issue is fixed in macOS Sonoma 14.4, released March 7, 2024.
Potential Impact
An unprivileged app could access the user's Photos Library, potentially exposing sensitive personal images and data without user consent. The confidentiality of user data is impacted, but there is no indication of integrity or availability impact. No known exploits in the wild have been reported at this time.
Mitigation Recommendations
Apply the official update macOS Sonoma 14.4 or later, which includes the fix for this vulnerability by adding additional permission restrictions. No further action is required once the system is updated. Users and administrators should ensure their systems are running the patched version to prevent exploitation.
Technical Details
- Data Version
- 5.2
- Assigner Short Name
- apple
- Date Reserved
- 2024-01-12T22:22:21.487Z
- Cvss Version
- 3.1
- State
- PUBLISHED
Threat ID: 690a47526d939959c8022703
Added to database: 11/4/2025, 6:34:58 PM
Last enriched: 4/9/2026, 11:04:11 PM
Last updated: 5/9/2026, 8:58:37 AM
Views: 85
Community Reviews
0 reviewsCrowdsource mitigation strategies, share intel context, and vote on the most helpful responses. Sign in to add your voice and help keep defenders ahead.
Want to contribute mitigation steps or threat intel context? Sign in or create an account to join the community discussion.
Actions
Updates to AI analysis require Pro Console access. Upgrade inside Console → Billing.
Need more coverage?
Upgrade to Pro Console for AI refresh and higher limits.
For incident response and remediation, OffSeq services can help resolve threats faster.
Latest Threats
Check if your credentials are on the dark web
Instant breach scanning across billions of leaked records. Free tier available.