CVE-2024-44159VulnerabilityPublished 28 Oct 2024Updated 2 Apr 2026

CVE-2024-44159: Apple macOS · An app may be able to bypass Privacy preferences

Affects Apple macOSSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.1 High · fixed in 15.1 : patch Apple macOS soon.

Data as of 25 Oct 2026, 19:02 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

7.1High

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

EPSS: 0.2% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 18% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in 15.1

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

Attack Vector: Local
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
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: 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: 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 28 Oct 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 2026-10-25.

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

To mitigate CVE-2024-44159, organizations should promptly apply the official patches released by Apple in macOS Sequoia 15.1, Sonoma 14.7.1, and Ventura 13.7.1. Beyond patching, administrators should enforce strict application whitelisting and limit installation of untrusted software to reduce the risk of local exploitation. Employ endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions to monitor for suspicious local activity that attempts to access or modify privacy-protected resources. Regularly audit privacy preference settings and system logs for anomalies. Use macOS security features such as System Integrity Protection (SIP) and ensure they are enabled and up to date. Educate users about the risks of running unverified applications and maintain least privilege principles for user accounts. In high-security environments, consider network segmentation and device management policies to restrict local access to macOS systems. Finally, maintain an up-to-date inventory of macOS versions deployed to ensure timely patch management.

Description

A path deletion vulnerability was addressed by preventing vulnerable code from running with privileges. This issue is fixed in macOS Sequoia 15.1, macOS Sonoma 14.7.1, macOS Ventura 13.7.1. An app may be able to bypass Privacy preferences.

Impact

The primary impact of CVE-2024-44159 is the unauthorized bypass of macOS Privacy preferences, which can lead to exposure of sensitive user data such as location, contacts, calendars, or other protected resources. This breach of confidentiality can facilitate further attacks, including data exfiltration or privilege escalation chains. Integrity may also be affected if the attacker modifies protected data or settings. Since the vulnerability does not impact availability, denial-of-service is not a concern here. Organizations relying on macOS devices, especially those handling sensitive or regulated data, face increased risk of privacy violations and compliance issues if unpatched. The requirement for local access and low privileges means that insider threats or malware with limited permissions could exploit this vulnerability. The absence of user interaction lowers the barrier for automated exploitation once local access is obtained. Overall, the vulnerability poses a significant risk to data privacy and system trustworthiness in affected environments.

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 2 Apr 2026, 23:48 UTC

Technical details

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