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VulnerabilityPublished Updated

CVE-2024-44260: Apple macOS · A malicious app with root privileges may be able to modify the contents of system files

Affects Apple macOSSource CVE Database V5

0

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 6.7 Medium · fixed in 15.1 : update Apple macOS when convenient.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 09:15 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score
6.7Medium
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:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Exploitation evidence

  1. Disclosed: evidence found.

    CVE published 28 Oct 2024

  2. Detectable: no evidence on record.

    No public nuclei template indexed

  3. Weaponised: no evidence on record.

    No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB

  4. Exploited in the wild: no evidence on record.

    Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation

  5. Observed by OffSeq 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.

What to do

Affected software

ProductAffectedFixed in
Apple macOSAffected
  • =0
Fixed in–

AI-suggested

To mitigate CVE-2024-44260, organizations should immediately apply the security updates released by Apple in macOS Sequoia 15.1, Sonoma 14.7.1, and Ventura 13.7.1. Beyond patching, strict control and monitoring of root access is critical; implement least privilege principles to limit root account usage and employ robust authentication mechanisms such as multi-factor authentication for administrative access. Employ system integrity monitoring tools to detect unauthorized changes to system files and maintain comprehensive logging to audit root-level activities. Regularly review and harden macOS security configurations, including disabling unnecessary services and restricting software installations to trusted sources. In environments with sensitive data or critical infrastructure, consider deploying endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions capable of identifying suspicious behavior indicative of privilege misuse. Finally, conduct regular security training to raise awareness about the risks of privilege escalation and the importance of safeguarding administrative credentials.

Description

This issue was addressed by removing the vulnerable code. This issue is fixed in macOS Sequoia 15.1, macOS Sonoma 14.7.1, macOS Ventura 13.7.1. A malicious app with root privileges may be able to modify the contents of system files.

References

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