VulnerabilityPublished 28 Oct 2024Updated 2 Apr 2026

CVE-2024-44267: Apple macOS · A malicious application may be able to modify protected parts of the file system

Affects Apple macOSSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 2.7 Low · fixed in 15.1 : update Apple macOS when convenient.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 10:12 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

2.7Low

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

EPSS: 0.4% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 39% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in 15.1

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

Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: High
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: None
Integrity: Low
Availability: None

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Network: The vulnerable component is bound to the network stack and the set of possible attackers extends beyond the other options listed, up to and including the entire Internet. Such a vulnerability is often termed 'remotely exploitable' and can be thought of as an attack being exploitable at the protocol level one or more network hops away (e.g., across one or more routers).
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: High: The attacker is authorized with (i.e., requires) privileges that provide significant (e.g., administrative) control over the vulnerable component that could affect component-wide settings and files.
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: None: There is no loss of confidentiality within the impacted component.
Integrity: Low: Modification of data is possible, but the attacker does not have control over the consequence of a modification, or the amount of modification is limited. The data modification does not have a direct, serious impact on 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-2024-44267, organizations should prioritize updating affected macOS systems to the patched versions: macOS Sequoia 15.1, Sonoma 14.7.1, or Ventura 13.7.1. Beyond patching, organizations should enforce strict privilege management policies to limit the number of users and applications with elevated privileges, reducing the attack surface. Implement application whitelisting and endpoint protection solutions that monitor and restrict unauthorized modifications to critical system files. Employ robust auditing and monitoring to detect anomalous file system changes indicative of exploitation attempts. Use macOS security features such as System Integrity Protection (SIP) and ensure they are enabled and properly configured. Regularly review installed applications and remove unnecessary or untrusted software to minimize potential malicious applications. Network segmentation and least privilege network access can further reduce the risk of attackers gaining the required high privileges. Finally, maintain comprehensive incident response plans to quickly address any detected compromise involving file system integrity.

Description

The issue was addressed with improved checks. This issue is fixed in macOS Sequoia 15.1, macOS Sonoma 14.7.1, macOS Ventura 13.7.1. A malicious application may be able to modify protected parts of the file system.

Impact

The primary impact of CVE-2024-44267 is on the integrity of the macOS file system. A malicious application with elevated privileges could modify protected system files, potentially allowing attackers to implant persistent malware, alter system behavior, or disable security controls. Although confidentiality and availability are not directly affected, the integrity compromise can lead to further exploitation, including privilege escalation or evasion of detection mechanisms. Organizations relying on macOS systems, especially those in sensitive or high-security environments, face risks of persistent compromise if this vulnerability is exploited. Since exploitation requires high privileges, the vulnerability is less likely to be the initial attack vector but could be leveraged in multi-stage attacks after privilege escalation. The absence of known exploits in the wild reduces immediate risk, but delayed patching could expose organizations to future attacks. Overall, the impact is moderate in environments where attackers have already gained elevated access, emphasizing the importance of defense-in-depth and timely patching.

References

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 3 Apr 2026, 00:06 UTC

Technical details

References

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