VulnerabilityPublished 28 Oct 2024Updated 2 Apr 2026

CVE-2024-44257: Apple macOS · An app may be able to access sensitive user data

Affects Apple macOSSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 6.2 Medium · fixed in 15.1 : update Apple macOS when convenient.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 17:16 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

6.2Medium

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.
Patch: Available – fixed in 15.1

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

Attack Vector: Local
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: High
Integrity: None
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: None: The attacker is unauthorized prior to attack, and therefore does not require any access to settings or files to carry out an attack.
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: None: There is no loss of integrity within 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 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-2024-44257, organizations should promptly deploy the security updates released by Apple in macOS Sequoia 15.1, Sonoma 14.7.1, and Ventura 13.7.1. Beyond patching, administrators should enforce strict application control policies to limit the installation and execution of untrusted or unnecessary local applications, reducing the attack surface. Employing endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions can help identify anomalous local app behaviors indicative of exploitation attempts. Restricting local user permissions and leveraging macOS security features such as System Integrity Protection (SIP) and App Sandbox can further contain potential data access by apps. Regular audits of installed applications and their permissions should be conducted to detect suspicious or unauthorized software. For highly sensitive environments, consider implementing data loss prevention (DLP) tools to monitor and block unauthorized data access or exfiltration. User education on the risks of installing unknown software complements technical controls. Finally, maintain an incident response plan tailored to macOS environments to quickly address any exploitation attempts.

Description

This issue was addressed with improved redaction of sensitive information. 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 access sensitive user data.

Impact

The primary impact of CVE-2024-44257 is the unauthorized disclosure of sensitive user data on affected macOS systems. For organizations, this could lead to leakage of confidential information such as personal identifiers, credentials, or proprietary data if malicious or compromised applications exploit the vulnerability. Since exploitation requires only local access without privileges or user interaction, insider threats or malware that gains local foothold can leverage this flaw to escalate data access capabilities. This undermines user privacy and could facilitate further attacks such as identity theft, corporate espionage, or compliance violations (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA). The lack of impact on integrity and availability limits the threat to confidentiality, but the sensitivity of the exposed data could still cause reputational damage, financial loss, and regulatory penalties. Enterprises with macOS-heavy environments, especially those handling sensitive or regulated data, face increased risk until patches are applied. The absence of known exploits in the wild reduces immediate risk but does not eliminate the potential for future exploitation.

CWE-922Insecure Storage of Sensitive Information (opens in a new tab)
Class weaknessOWASP Top 10 A01:2025: Broken Access Control (opens in a new tab)
The product stores sensitive information without properly limiting read or write access by unauthorized actors.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
Authorization (opens in a new tab)
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V8.1.6 (opens in a new tab)
V8.2.3 (opens in a new tab)
V8.2.2 (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 3 Apr 2026, 00:04 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-922

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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