VulnerabilityPublished 29 Jul 2024Updated 2 Apr 2026

CVE-2024-40827: Apple macOS · An app may be able to overwrite arbitrary files

Affects Apple macOSSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 5.5 Medium · fixed in 12.7.6 : update Apple macOS when convenient.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 14:05 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

5.5Medium

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS: 0.2% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 17% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in 12.7.6

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N

Attack Vector: Local
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: None
Integrity: High
Availability: None

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Local: The vulnerable component is not bound to the network stack and the attacker’s path is via read/write/execute capabilities. Either: the attacker exploits the vulnerability by accessing the target system locally (e.g., keyboard, console), or remotely (e.g., SSH); or the attacker relies on User Interaction by another person to perform actions required to exploit the vulnerability (e.g., tricking a legitimate user into opening a malicious document).
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: Low: The attacker is authorized with (i.e., requires) privileges that provide basic user capabilities that could normally affect only settings and files owned by a user. Alternatively, an attacker with Low privileges may have the ability to cause an impact only to non-sensitive resources.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without any interaction from any user.
Scope: Unchanged: An exploited vulnerability can only affect resources managed by the same security authority. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are either the same, or both are managed by the same security authority.
Confidentiality: None: There is no loss of confidentiality within the impacted component.
Integrity: High: There is a total loss of integrity, or a complete loss of protection. For example, the attacker is able to modify any/all files protected by the impacted component. Alternatively, only some files can be modified, but malicious modification would present a direct, serious consequence to the impacted component.
Availability: None: There is no impact to availability within the impacted component.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 29 Jul 2024
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 26 Oct 2026.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, or CISA SSVC or the CVSS exploit maturity reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
Apple macOS	Affected =0	Fixed in–

AI-suggested

To mitigate CVE-2024-40827, organizations should immediately apply the security patches released by Apple for macOS Monterey 12.7.6, Sonoma 14.6, and Ventura 13.6.8 or later. Beyond patching, organizations should enforce strict application control policies to limit the installation and execution of untrusted or unnecessary applications, reducing the risk of local exploitation. Implementing least privilege principles for user accounts can minimize the potential damage if an app attempts to exploit this vulnerability. Monitoring file integrity on critical system and application files can help detect unauthorized modifications early. Employ endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions capable of identifying suspicious file overwrite activities. Regularly audit local user privileges and restrict administrative rights to trusted personnel only. Additionally, educating users about the risks of installing unverified software can reduce the likelihood of malicious apps gaining local access. Finally, maintain up-to-date backups to recover quickly from any potential file tampering incidents.

Description

The issue was addressed with improved checks. This issue is fixed in macOS Monterey 12.7.6, macOS Sonoma 14.6, macOS Ventura 13.6.8. An app may be able to overwrite arbitrary files.

Impact

The primary impact of CVE-2024-40827 is on the integrity of affected macOS systems. An attacker with local access and limited privileges could overwrite arbitrary files, potentially replacing system binaries, configuration files, or user data. This could lead to privilege escalation, unauthorized persistence mechanisms, or disruption of system functionality. While confidentiality and availability are not directly impacted, the ability to modify files arbitrarily can facilitate further attacks or compromise system trustworthiness. Organizations relying on macOS for critical operations, especially those with multiple users or shared environments, may face increased risk of insider threats or malware leveraging this vulnerability. The lack of required user interaction lowers the barrier for exploitation once local access is obtained. However, since exploitation requires local privileges, remote attackers without initial access cannot exploit this vulnerability directly. The absence of known exploits in the wild reduces immediate risk but does not eliminate the threat, especially as attackers often develop exploits post-disclosure. Overall, the vulnerability poses a moderate risk that could be leveraged in targeted attacks or combined with other vulnerabilities for greater impact.

References

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 2 Apr 2026, 23:34 UTC

Technical details

References

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