CVE-2024-44162: Apple Xcode · A malicious application may gain access to a user's Keychain items
Affects Apple XcodeSource CVE Database V5
Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.8 High.
Data as of 25 Oct 2026, 19:02 UTC
- EPSS
- 0.2% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 10% 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:U/C:H/I:H/A:HExploitation 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 2026-10-25.
What to do
Affected software
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| Apple Xcode | Affected
| Fixed in– |
AI-suggested
To mitigate CVE-2024-44162, organizations must upgrade all affected Xcode installations to version 16 or later, where hardened runtime protections are enabled by default. This upgrade is critical to prevent unauthorized access to Keychain items. Additionally, developers should audit and restrict local user privileges to minimize the risk of privilege escalation. Employing endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions to monitor for suspicious local activity related to Keychain access can help detect exploitation attempts. Organizations should also enforce strict code signing policies and regularly rotate cryptographic keys stored in the Keychain. Implementing multi-factor authentication (MFA) for developer accounts and securing build environments can further reduce risk. Finally, educating developers about the risks of running untrusted applications on development machines is essential to prevent initial compromise.
Description
This issue was addressed by enabling hardened runtime. This issue is fixed in Xcode 16. A malicious application may gain access to a user's Keychain items.