CVE-2024-44132VulnerabilityPublished 16 Sep 2024Updated 2 Apr 2026

CVE-2024-44132: Apple macOS · An app may be able to break out of its sandbox

Affects Apple macOSSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 8.4 High.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 06:26 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

8.4High

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

EPSS: 0.2% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 14% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

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

Attack Vector: Local
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: None
Scope: Changed
Confidentiality: High
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: Changed: An exploited vulnerability can affect resources beyond the security scope managed by the security authority of the vulnerable component. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are different and managed by different security authorities.
Confidentiality: High: There is total loss of confidentiality, resulting in all resources within the impacted component being divulged to the attacker. Alternatively, access to only some restricted information is obtained, but the disclosed information presents a direct, serious impact.
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 16 Sep 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 2026-10-26.

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 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

The primary mitigation is to update all affected macOS systems to macOS Sequoia 15 or later, where the vulnerability has been fixed by improved symlink handling. Until patching is possible, organizations should enforce strict application whitelisting and sandboxing policies to limit the installation and execution of untrusted or unnecessary applications. Employing endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions that monitor for unusual file system or symlink activity can help detect attempts to exploit this vulnerability. Restricting user privileges to the minimum necessary and avoiding running applications with elevated permissions reduces the attack surface. Additionally, organizations should audit and monitor system logs for suspicious behavior related to symlink manipulation or sandbox escapes. Security teams should also educate users about the risks of installing unverified software and maintain up-to-date backups to mitigate potential damage from exploitation. Finally, coordinate with Apple security advisories for any additional guidance or updates.

Description

This issue was addressed with improved handling of symlinks. This issue is fixed in macOS Sequoia 15. An app may be able to break out of its sandbox.

Impact

If exploited, this vulnerability allows an attacker with limited privileges to break out of the macOS sandbox, potentially gaining unauthorized access to sensitive system resources and user data. This can lead to a full compromise of confidentiality and integrity of the affected system, enabling attackers to read or modify protected files and processes. While availability impact is not indicated, the breach of sandbox isolation undermines the fundamental security model of macOS, increasing the risk of further attacks such as malware persistence, data exfiltration, or lateral movement within networks. Organizations using macOS in sensitive environments, including software development, finance, healthcare, and government sectors, could face significant data breaches or system compromises. The lack of required user interaction and low privilege requirement increases the likelihood of exploitation in targeted attacks or supply chain compromises. Although no exploits are currently known in the wild, the vulnerability's high CVSS score and potential impact necessitate urgent attention to prevent future exploitation.

CWE-61UNIX Symbolic Link (Symlink) Following (opens in a new tab)
Compound weaknessLikelihood of exploit: HighOWASP Top 10 A01:2025: Broken Access Control (opens in a new tab)
The product, when opening a file or directory, does not sufficiently account for when the file is a symbolic link that resolves to a target outside of the intended control sphere. This could allow an attacker to cause the product to operate on unauthorized files.
Implementation
Symbolic link attacks often occur when a program creates a tmp directory that stores files/links. Access to the directory should be restricted to the program as to prevent attackers from manipulating the files.
Architecture and Design · Separation of Privilege
Follow the principle of least privilege when assigning access rights to entities in a software system.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
Authorization (opens in a new tab)
Attack patterns
Leveraging Race Conditions via Symbolic Links (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

Community reviews

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 2 Apr 2026, 23:44 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-61

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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