CVE-2024-40834 is a vulnerability identified in Apple macOS that involves the Shortcuts app, which automates tasks on the operating system. The flaw allows a crafted shortcut to bypass sensitive settings within the Shortcuts app, potentially enabling unauthorized actions that would normally require explicit user consent. This vulnerability stems from missing or insufficient authorization checks (CWE-862), allowing a shortcut to escalate its privileges or circumvent security prompts. The issue affects multiple macOS versions prior to the patched releases: Sonoma 14.6, Monterey 12.7.6, and Ventura 13.6.8, though the exact affected versions are unspecified. The vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 4.4, indicating a medium severity level. The vector metrics show that exploitation requires local access (AV:L), low attack complexity (AC:L), low privileges (PR:L), no user interaction (UI:N), and impacts confidentiality and integrity to a limited extent (C:L/I:L), but not availability (A:N). Apple mitigated the issue by introducing an additional user consent prompt, reinforcing authorization checks to prevent shortcuts from bypassing security settings. No public exploits or active exploitation have been reported to date. This vulnerability is particularly relevant in environments where users may run untrusted or malicious shortcuts, potentially leading to unauthorized access to sensitive data or modification of system settings without proper authorization.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2024-40834 primarily concerns confidentiality and integrity within macOS environments that utilize the Shortcuts app. Attackers with local access and low privileges could exploit this vulnerability to bypass security controls, potentially accessing sensitive information or altering system configurations without user consent. This could facilitate lateral movement, privilege escalation, or data leakage in corporate networks. Organizations relying on macOS for critical workflows or automation may face risks of unauthorized automation tasks executing with elevated capabilities. Although availability is not impacted, the breach of confidentiality and integrity could undermine trust in automated processes and lead to compliance issues, especially under GDPR regulations. The lack of required user interaction lowers the barrier for exploitation once local access is obtained, increasing the risk in shared or multi-user systems. However, the absence of known exploits in the wild and the medium severity rating suggest that immediate widespread impact is limited but should not be ignored. European organizations with macOS deployments should consider this vulnerability in their risk assessments and patch management strategies to maintain secure automation environments.

1. Apply the official Apple patches promptly by upgrading to macOS Sonoma 14.6, Monterey 12.7.6, or Ventura 13.6.8 or later versions where the vulnerability is fixed. 2. Restrict the execution of untrusted or unsigned shortcuts, especially in enterprise environments, by enforcing strict policies on shortcut creation and usage. 3. Educate users about the risks of running shortcuts from unknown sources and encourage verification before execution. 4. Implement endpoint security solutions that monitor and restrict unauthorized automation activities or suspicious shortcut behaviors. 5. Regularly audit and review existing shortcuts for potentially risky actions or privilege escalations. 6. Limit local user privileges to the minimum necessary to reduce the risk of exploitation by low-privilege users. 7. Use macOS security features such as System Integrity Protection (SIP) and Endpoint Security Framework to detect and prevent unauthorized modifications. 8. Monitor system logs and shortcut app activity for anomalies that could indicate attempts to exploit this vulnerability. 9. Integrate vulnerability management processes to track and remediate macOS vulnerabilities in a timely manner. 10. Coordinate with Apple support and security advisories for updates and additional guidance.